Statistics bureau sued

By Nancy Akinyi

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) has been sued for allegedly using a firm’s storage facilities illegally.

B M Logistics has filed a suit seeking Sh43 million from KNBS for illegally storing census materials on its premises along Mombasa Road.

The firm is also seeking for an eviction order against the KNBS, since it is still using its stores.

Through Mbugua Mureithi and Company Advocates, the transport company says it had bid to transport and store census materials.

It says as a result of the bid, the Ministry of Housing wrote to KNBS and copied to it the said letter, which fixed the rent payable for the suit premises as Sh30 for a square feet.

The transport company says after the alleged letter, KNBS then went quiet and to date KNBS has not signed a lease agreement for the storage services. It claims on September 1 last year, KNBS trespassed into and occupied the suit premises without its consent.

Ghost company

On taking possession of the suit premises, KNBS is also accused of fraudulently paying part of the rent to Bulk Movers and Logistics E A Company Ltd.

The transport company lists particulars of fraud as the processing of the payment of Sh7.3 million rent to a ghost company.

It calculated the said claim at Sh5.5 million monthly. The plaintiff now accuses the defendant of fraudulently paying another company for the services provided.

"The defendant failed to exercise due diligence to determine that the premises was leased to the plaintiff company and that the said Bulkmovers and Logistics (EA) Company Ltd did not exist," the firm says in the suit papers.

The 2009 census has been dogged by controversies including non-payment of enumerators.