Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) Director General Philemon Kandie
Philemon Kandie, the Director General of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) is a happy man as his schemes to have absolute control over the inconsequential roads agency has borne fruit to the detriment of others.
In February 2021, the court reinstated a former Procurement officer, Ms Margaret Wanja Muthui.
Ms Wanja had been unprocedurally transferred from KeRRA to the parent Ministry of Transport after disagreeing to having a tender given to a firm that had overpriced its costs of undertaking advertised works.
Roben Aberdare Kenya Limited, a firm favoured by Philemon Kandie’s artels, had overpriced the tender by over Sh1 billion. This is according to an affidavit sworn by Ms Wanja.
According to the court documents, the Authority has no power to direct or release her to the Ministrys’ office.
The Ministry equally has no power to direct the Authority to deploy her to their office as her contractual employment is with the Authority and not any other person.
“The said deployment is malicious at the very least as the sole reason for the same is my steadfast support for the rule of law and the principles guiding the procurement procedures at the Authority’s corporation.”
She says she has been deployed as a punishment for upholding the rule of law and as a result of diligent performance of her duties.
After Wanja’s transfer, the DG brought in another woman to take over her post. The agency now has two procurement officers in the same position after the reinstatement by the court.
Death threats, grave consequences
Kandie seems to be putting up a fight, backed by the usual suspects who loot the roads agency.
I called KeRRA inconsequential because, a report in 2020 showed that it was the most underperforming roads agency that, according to some deep system analysis of its viability, should be disbanded and its functions be shared between Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA).
The wrangles and the poor management style of Engineer Philemon Kandie has made it hard for some staffer to report to work for fear.
Cnyakundi.com has learnt that with such high bribery amounts, some staff have received death threats for their anti-corruption stance.
Kandie has also been mentioned as the man behind the unprocedural transfer of one Julius Gakubia from his plum position in the maintenance department to the strategic department.
Kandie has planted his cronies in strategic departments to loot millions in kickbacks through a long list of dubious construction companies being favoured in various counties with constructions projects.
Conflict of interest
As per the reports, these are the companies Kandie controls through his wife and a matter the Ethics And Anti-Corruption Commission must investigate and act on Turgo investment limited, Oret Engineering limited, Nakoi logistics Limited, Robet Contractors, Jonikwa Company Limited.
There are reports of a loading corruption scandal involving Kandie and one Mr Helkano who was working at KERRA as a procurement officer before jumping into politics.
Contractors and top managers have demanded investigations into corruption propagated by Kandie together with his cartel.
One contract insiders want to be investigated is the 23.0km Danger –Kimondi-Chemuswa, Hamaki-Nandi Hills (17.0km) and Chepterir- Kapkagaon-Moi University all in Nandi County. They want the DG to come out clean and explain how the contract was initially undertaken by M/S Civicon (k) Ltd was later assigned to China Railway Engineering Group in November 2018. Sources say, at one time Kandie confronted one eng Walter Nyakiro on matters relating to the payment of interior certificates.
The cost of the project totals sh 4.3 billion.
So arrogant is Kandie that he boasts that Transport CS Macharia can’t do anything to him because he has never liked him. In fact, Kandie says he only respects Gideon Moi because he is the one who lobbied for him to be appointed.
KeRRA managers Skip Work Over Death Threats From DG Philemon Kandie
