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The intrigues surrounding the importation of Sh17 billion diesel have deepened after the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) management disowned missing businesswoman’s importation documents for the cargo.
KPA Chairman Benjamin Tayari claimed the bill of lading Ms Anne Njeri Njoroge was using as the documents for the importation of the 100,000 metric tonnes of diesel from Turkey were not genuine. Tayari, who was flanked by KPA Managing Director William Ruto, also denied claims the woman had been to the port to process the importation documents for the oil in question imported by Ann’s Import and Export Company.
“We have the genuine documents of the company, which imported the oil in question that arrived in the port on November 4 and discharged on November 5 when it was 93,460 metric tonnes. We have never seen this woman in the port and if she had a problem she could have brought it to us,” said Tayari.
Tayari explained out of 93,460 tonnes of oil 49,091 tonnes were destined for Kenya while the remaining one was in transit to Uganda, South Sudan and the DRC.
According to KPA, the ship, christened Mt Haigui, loaded the cargo under a bill of lading serialised 13768-000010-13 between September 26 and 28 at Yanbui-Samref Terminal in Saudi Arabia and departed anchorage at Jeddah where it arrived on October 29 for cargo doping and sampling.
On October 11, the vessel had tendered its notice to sail to Mombasa from Jeddah and docked in Mombasa on November 4 where it discharged its cargo and sailed away.
Tayari, who admitted the matter was already in court, however, said KPA has not been served with any documents and was not ready to talk much about the case.
He insisted the woman’s bill of lading had many discrepancies.
Tayari explained that the purported bill of lading indicated that the origin of the cargo was from the Azerbaijan Republic and was loaded at Jeddah which was contrary to the actual origin which is Yanbu in Saudi Arabia.
Tayari also said the most significant issue about Njoroge’s documents is that the ship’s stamp purported bill of lading is not identical to Mt Haigui’s stamp.
He said the ship’s loading date is indicated as October 23, which contradicts the ship’s actual loading date of between September 26 and 28 insisting the vessel could not be in Mombasa within two days; the voyage takes more than 10 days.
He further noted whenever cargo has been imported, the consignee and their respective portions of the bulk cargo are listed in the manifest submitted to KPA by a shipping agent but noted that was not the case in the woman’s documents.
“KPA confirms that Ann’s Import and Export Enterprises company is not one of the manifest consignees,” said Tayari.
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