THE TRAIL...: Of the richest teacher in the country and supplier of police uniforms

President William Ruto inspects Kenya’s new police uniforms as questions emerge over the company contracted to supply them. [PCS]

Fresh links between a company at the centre of the Sh2.8 billion police uniform tender and a businessman associated with President William Ruto have deepened questions over who actually owns and controls the supplier.

A phone number listed in the corporate records of Nalitex Limited, the company linked to the supply of police uniforms, returned the name of businessman Charles Tela Alusala, adding another layer to questions about the company’s ownership and management.

The Standard independently tested the number through a mobile-money transaction, which returned Alusala’s name as the registered account holder.

The result does not, on its own, establish that Alusala owns or controls Nalitex.

However, it provides a direct link between the businessman and a company whose formal records identify a primary-school teacher, Selpha Chesimi Temoi, as its sole shareholder and director.

Notably, Alusala is not listed in the company records.

The telephone number is not the only connection linking Alusala to Nalitex.

On Thursday, The Standard established that Nalitex’s listed postal address, P.O. Box 7766-00200, City Square, Nairobi, is also associated with an audit firm linked to Alusala.

Alusala, who has a documented business footprint spanning several corporate entities, was also a listed co-owner of Amaco Insurance, where he holds 10 shares as of 2025.

His connections extend to the President’s family. A property associated with First Lady Rachel Ruto and their daughter Charlene shares an address with the company supplying the police uniforms.

The shared postal address and the phone number registered under Alusala but also appearing in Nalitex’s corporate records raises questions about the nature of his connection to the company despite his absence from its formal ownership structure.

The Standard has not established whether the shared address reflects a business relationship, an administrative arrangement or any direct connection between Alusala and Nalitex.

But with multiple links to the company supplying police uniforms, it raises eyebrows about the part he plays in the company hierarchy.

Similarly, his close ties to President William Ruto and the First Family raise eyebrows about the possible link of the multi-billion police uniform tender to the President and his family.

A search for Alusala online reveals that he has maintained a relatively limited public digital presence, with much of his documented footprint emerging from company records, professional registers and historical corporate filings.

However, The Standard was able to trace an image of Alusala on his LinkedIn profile and a dormant Instagram account bearing his name.

But the mystery deepens when Nalitex’s shareholding structure is examined.

The company is registered with 1,000 shares, yet the corporate document reviewed by The Standard identifies Temoi as holding only two shares.

The document reviewed does not identify the holders of the remaining 998 shares, raising questions over the company’s complete ownership structure.

This now leaves unanswered questions over who holds the bulk of the company’s shares and who ultimately exercises control over the firm.

Further scrutiny of Temoi online has uncovered another potentially significant connection.

A Facebook account bearing the name Selpha Chesimi Temoi, which was conveniently deleted at around 6 pm yesterday, contains an identification linking her to Mt Elgon MP Fred Chesebe Kapondi.

In the profile, she has captioned one of the photos of her and her children as the Hon. Kapondi’s, and in another photo she is side by side on a photo grid with an image that resembles the MP.

However, The Standard has not independently established the nature or duration of that relationship.

However, questions remain about Temoi’s association with the legislator and how she came to be listed as the controlling shareholder and director of a company now associated with a major government supply contract.

The Standard has sought clarification from Temoi and Kapondi on the nature of their association and whether it has any connection to Nalitex or the procurement of the new police uniforms.

However, by 6pm on Thursday, the account had been deactivated.

Efforts to reach Kapondi were futile. The MP's phone was offline in all three attempts The Standard made to reach him.

He also did not respond to texts and messages.

On Thursday, The Standard established that Nalitex’s listed physical address in Nairobi could not be independently traced to an office occupied by the company.

A company search by The Standard on the Business Registration Service on August 27, 2026 lists its registered office as Hifadhi House along ICD Road in Nairobi.

But a visit by The Standard to Hifadhi House found no Nalitex office.

The offices operating from the building include NTSA, Kenya Law and a logistics company, raising the first question over the corporate footprint of a company now associated with a major government supply contract.

The same document identifies Selpha Chesimi Temoi as Nalitex Limited’s director and sole shareholder, giving her address as P.O. Box 142-50203, Kapsokwony.

The police uniforms were formally launched on Friday to flurry of reactions on who owns the tender and whether the new uniforms are a priority or reforming the service is of priority. Yesterday, the ratios continued, with a majority saying both the tender and the priorities were not right. Consumer Federation of Kenya boss Stephen Mutoro took to social media and wondered how the tendering was done.

"Sh2.8 billion. One police uniforms tender. And the trail doesn’t lead to a warehouse; it leads to Hifadhi House, a “head office” that doesn’t exist, a shareholder sharing a name with a primary school teacher, and an accountant whose firm shares a postal address with businesses tied to the First Family. This isn’t just greed. It’s a system engineered so that every shilling squeezed from overtaxed, struggling Kenyans finds its way back to one family’s orbit, while police officers wear uniforms procured through ghost companies. Follow the paper trail. It always leads home," he wrote.

The contention, however, can be traced back to eight years ago when then Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i got into a spat with then Deputy President William Ruto with the former accusing the latter of trying to intercept the contract, insisting the government would proceed with it.

The new police uniform is reviving an old procurement dispute that previously triggered a heated confrontation between President William Ruto, then Deputy President, and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.

In 2008, the government said the uniform change was part of reforms within the National Police Service and that the uniforms would be produced locally.

But the rollout soon became entangled in a fight over who would supply the uniforms.

Reports at the time indicated that Ruto had pushed for the tender to be awarded to other suppliers after concerns emerged that the National Youth Service did not have enough fabric to meet the demand.

Matiang’i, who was then in charge of the Interior Ministry, rejected the proposal and maintained that the government would proceed with local production.

He said pressure had been mounted on the ministry to import the uniforms, but insisted that the government had already committed to supporting local textile manufacturers.

The disagreement was subsequently reported as another point of friction between Ruto and Matiang’i, who had increasingly found themselves on opposite sides of government decisions.

The issue resurfaced during the 2022 election period, when Matiang’i accused Ruto and his allies of attempting to influence government procurement involving security agencies. The allegations were disputed by Ruto’s camp.

At the time, Ruto was also campaigning on a promise to change the blue police uniform, with his political camp arguing that officers had rejected the design and that a different outfit would be introduced under a Kenya Kwanza administration.

Former CHief Justice had also given the President a seven-day ultimatum to make the police reforms report, done by a task force he chaired, public lest he goes ahead and publishes it. The deadline has since lapsed, but Justice David Maraga is yet to release the report.

Among the things he addressed were gaps in the service, including rampant corruption, heightened brutality, a rise in crime and political interference, raising public concerns on the duties of the service. The report also addressed the issue of police interference with politics, saying past partisan use of police eroded public trust and professionalism of the service.

The taskforce also found corruption in NPS remained endemic and deeply embedded in the institution’s culture. Its report says police jobs were allegedly sold to people who could afford them or given to relatives of powerful and politically connected individuals, undermining the integrity of the institution. It said some recruitment slots were allegedly being sold for up to Sh600,000.

According to the report, political influence and bribery corrupt every stage of career progression within NPS. From candidates buying entry or relying on godfathers, to serving officers bribing superiors or granting favours to secure transfers, promotion and deployments.

The taskforce said NPS lacks competent leadership and recommended fresh vetting of senior officers and calls for open, fair and competitive recruitment of the IG, deputy IGs and DCI boss.

Government agencies are yet to react to the expose even as more uniforms are released to the officers.