Shadowy firms controlling billions in Ruto's flagship projects

A network of shadowy firms, backed by powerful political figures, is quietly managing billions of shillings from President William Ruto’s flagship projects, raising alarm over transparency and public accountability.

These projects, designed to streamline government revenue collections, taxes, and levies, are being controlled by private entities instead of state institutions. The arrangement has placed sensitive public data in private hands and made it increasingly difficult for the Auditor-General to track movement of public funds, leading to billions of shillings in revenue turning out unaccounted for.

At the heart of the controversy is the e-Citizen platform, which, by October 2024, had generated at least Sh127.2 billion while being operated by private companies, according to the Auditor-General. The Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) is expected to handle Sh104 billion annually, while the government's Paybill number reportedly collects more than Sh900 million daily.