Thursday, April 29, 2021 – Tempers flared in Parliament today when Jubilee Vice Chairman David Murathe appeared to give his evidence on the controversial Sh 7 billion scandal at KEMSA.
Murathe engaged MPs in National Assembly Public Investments Committee (PIC) in a bid to clear his name after he was accused of influencing the tender process and standing in as a signatory of Kilig Company, accusations he has denied.
He claimed that Kilig Limited had transferred its ownership to persons aligned with Deputy President William Ruto and that he did not benefit from the Ksh4 billion reportedly awarded to Kilig Ltd.
Murathe also added that the tender process was cancelled and that he was only a signatory to the bank accounts of Kilig, and his role was to assure that the firm would be paid once the tender process was completed.
PIC Chairman Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, however, argued that Murathe’s claims were unsubstantiated despite him presenting letters and other evidence to prove his allegations.
At that point, Murathe lost his cool, raised his voice, and asked the MP to read all the letters and understand that once the tender was cancelled, he ceased to be a signatory.
Wajir East MP Rashid Kassim, questioned Murathe’s motives behind being a signatory, arguing that the Jubilee Vice-Chairman was economical with the truth.
The lawmaker probed Murathe on whether he was aware that he was guaranteeing payment of supply of personal protective equipment (PEPs) worth Ksh4 billion and that the amount was almost half of KEMSA’s Ksh7.8 billion budget.
“I was not aware of the amount involved. I was not aware that the Ksh4 billion I guaranteed was nearly the whole amount of KEMSA budget.”
“Once the tender was cancelled, I never benefited from any deal,” Murathe defended himself and accused the MP of being a Ruto associate. The remarks by Murathe sparked uproar in the house forcing Nassir to call the hearing to order and asked Murathe to apologize.
Meanwhile, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who appeared to defend Murathe, caused an uproar when he further accused Rashid of incriminating Murathe.
E! News Blog
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