By David Ochami

Those who swindled unsuspecting Kenyans Sh34 billion in pyramid and Ponzi schemes will be known tomorrow in Parliament.

The report, containing names of people involved in 169 schemes including 16 whose owners tried to convert them into co-operative societies to evade detection when the meltdown began in 2007, was compiled by June, but could not be tabled in Parliament for legal reasons.

The Kenya Business Community Co-operative Savings and Credit Society Ltd associated with this mess obtained an injunction stopping Co-operatives Minister Joseph Nyagah from acting on the recommendations of a taskforce headed by former minister Francis Nyenze.

The taskforce reportedly identifies and recommends forfeiture of assets and monies stolen by pyramid masterminds.

On July 23, Mr Nyagah told Parliament because the matter was before court the doctrine of sub-judice disabled him from tabling the report.

But on Thursday Speaker Kenneth Marende ruled orders given to Kenya Business Community Co-operative Savings and Credit Society Ltd are not blanket for they refer only to aspects of the taskforce report.

Who is who

In June, Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale claimed 20 people committed suicide following the collapse of the schemes.

He said the schemes were associated with prominent people, including President Kibaki’s ally Stanley Murage and chairman of the Interim Boundaries Review Commission Andrew Ligale. Mr Ligale denounced the claims and it is not clear if his name is in the report. Others named by the MP are former minister Njeru Ndwiga, former diplomat Mary Odinga, a Dr Ndamwe and Mr George Donde.

Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi linked Trade Minister Amos Kimunya’s wife to the scam and asked Nyagah to confirm whether the Government was protecting her and others from investigation. She denied the connection.

The two MPs claimed nine people who had been summoned by the taskforce declined to testify because the State was protecting them.

When the schemes collapsed in 2007, some victims turned to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission and courts for help without much success.