President Uhuru Kenyatta’s niece Nana Gecaga is no longer the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC).
Cabinet Minister for Tourism and Wildlife Peninah Malonza joined the ministry’s Principal Secretaries and KICC staff in ceremony to bid Nana farewell as she completed her tour of duty as CEO.
CS Malonza lauded Nana for her service and wished her well in her future endeavors.
Nana has been in charge of KICC for seven years.
Her replacement has not been named yet.
Revisiting her tenure
Nana Gecaga’s tenure was marked with tales of looting among the few good things she did. The few were realluy few and far in between.
In September 2022, it was reported that she illegally awarded herself a salary increment meant for all staff through a re-categorization of the institution from a C7 category to an A7 category.
Despite the Treasury coughing out over Sh400m for the entire project: to cater for salary increments and maintenance of the 28-storey building, workers on the ground are yet to receive their arrears.
In 2019, a scandal broke out that she was employed after presenting fake academic papers. For this reason, she refused to present her academic paper for audit.
Before her appointment at KICC, she was a ghost worker in a non-existent position, where she was earning a salary, allowances, and perdiem illegally without offering any services.
In the same year, when she hosted a concert organised at the KICC (KICC hosted two American R&B Singers, SWV and Blackstreet boys). Nana was the chief marketer who convinced the KICC to pay Shs25 million stating that the concert would generate over Sh45 million.
In that concert, Nana had coerced KICC to use Sh25 million; Sh10 million above the allocated budget of Sh15 million.
EACC had Nana on their sights, for this particular corruption and other procurement irregularities, but whatever happened to that, we will never know.
She did it again
In 2018, during the FIFA world cup, local entertainment providers Home Bpys set up a base for watching the matches at KICC at no cost.
Honda also used the grounds, they supplied KICC with a Motor vehicle and five motorbikes at a cost of Sh2 million despite the activity not being previously budgeted for.
A intern’s confession
I interned and worked at KICC 2013-2014 and was a cashier at the parking facing parliament road. During this time the monthly average collection was approximately Kshs. 5 million. Parking fee then was Kshs. 250 per vehicle per day. Kanjo (City Council) fee then was Kshs. 140.
Speaking to colleagues who are currently working there, they are sad and demoralised. Parking fees was increased when Fred Simiyu became the M.D to Kshs. 300 per vehicle per day, but collections dropped marginally but we still manages to get to about Kshs. 4 million a month.
This girl came and raised parking fees to Kshs. 500. Collections there hardly hit Kshs. 500k in a whole month.
Now, I stand to be corrected, but what kind of reasoning will prompt a whole M.D to take a decision that creates a approximately Kshs. 3.5 – 4 million hole cashflow per month?
Broke KICC
It is still a mystery who owns the KICC.
The ownership of the land on which Nairobi’s iconic Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) building stands is uncertain after an audit revealed that the parcel is not owned by the State corporation that runs the complex.
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu says the title deed for the 28-storey building is not registered in the name of KICC, which is a State Corporation under the Tourism ministry.
But the identity of the person or entity in whose name the title deed of the land, which is valued at Sh2.29 billion, is registered has not been revealed in the public auditor’s report for 2018/19.
“It has also been noted that the land in which Kenyatta International Convention Centre building stands is not registered in the name of the Corporation although its value has been included in the financial statements,” she says.
KANU was kicked out twice, in 2003 and 2013, but it looks like they still own the building.
Farewell Nana, you did not manage the entity well.
We pray you don’t get idle and fall back to alcoholism.
