House of deals: State House now hub of power, plunder, and patronage

State House, the seat of government in Kenya, is, according to critics, increasingly becoming a citadel of multi-billion shilling questionable deals and a paradise for brokers and wheeler-dealers. Uncharacteristic leaks and confessions from insiders with a gripe against President William Ruto's administration are giving a glimpse of a house of deals, which has almost transformed the President's command base into "a crime scene". From Russian oligarchs rushing to Nairobi with billion-dollar deals, to Indian billionaires and local tycoons pursuing mega contracts in health, energy, information technology, agriculture, gas, and transport, there has been an endless stream of questionable dealings that have cast both the country and the presidency into disrepute. Since taking office in September 2022, President Ruto has faced growing accusations of crafting a plethora of laws, policies, and regulations which critics claim are aimed at benefiting him and his cronies, enabling them to monopolise contracts in an opaque manner to the disadvantage of competitors and other interested parties. In an interview on a local TV station, former Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, who also served as Ruto's first Attorney General, declared State House a "scene of crime", alleging that "corruption is not incidental to the presidency-it is central to it". "Ruto has such an affinity for corruption. For him, there must be a business component in every government initiative," Muturi said. The former AG said he has all the paperwork for government deals, and revealed how he was pressured into signing a Sh129 billion tree-planting deal with Russian oligarchs-a contract so murky it required the gazetting of a public holiday. "I was invited to go to COP 28 in Dubai, which ended up in the Adani Deal about the airport. During that time, some Russian oligarchs wanted to invest Sh129 billion in Kenya. I landed in Dubai and received a phone call from Ruto, who told me that the Russians were waiting at the airport and that I needed to sign the documents. I declined, saying I needed to review the documents in the office," Muturi claimed.He added that the deal purported to give a grant of Sh129 billion to allegedly grow 3 billion trees and warned: "Whenever Ruto comes up with a project, it's for moneymaking. So they bring me a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and I tell them that the Sh129 billion can only be by a grant but can't come directly to the ministry. It only goes through the Treasury."The former AG recounted how he refused to sign off on the Arror/Kimwarer dams, yet the Italians contracted to construct them were paid billions, even as he asserted: "In Kimwarer, nothing has happened because the report provided was faulty.""Ruto held meetings with the Italian Prime Minister and the President. On three occasions, I was invited by the Head of Public Service to accompany the team. I wondered why because the country was losing Sh38 billion on the project. They wanted me to sign, and I declined."According to Muturi: "State House has become a scene of crime because all that happens is deals... corruption deals. "I do not think there is anything that can be done to redeem Ruto. For Ruto, there must be a business component for himself." Gachagua, on the other hand, accused the President of trying to push through the Arror and Kimwarer dam projects-deals previously mired in scandal and halted due to massive corruption allegations. In a separate exclusive interview, Gachagua described Ruto as the "high priest of corruption" and the "chief procurement officer". He cited repeated attempts by the President to push state officials into signing dubious contracts. In one case, he said Ruto tried to force the purchase of 11,000 acres of land at Kedong Ranch using the Settlement Trustee Fund-money intended for landless Kenyans. According to the former Deputy President, Muturi refused, and Gachagua said he was asked to reprimand him. Gachagua further narrated how Kenya received donations of fertiliser from Russia and Algeria, which was later handed to a private firm, Maisha Minerals Limited-which he associated with a Ruto associate. He alleged the firm mixed the donations with counterfeit product and resold it to the government at inflated prices. "Kebs investigated and wrote a report implicating the firm, but it was shelved," he said.The former DP added: "State House of Nairobi is the real centre of corrupt activities. And there are two people (name withheld for legal reasons), these are the conveyors of corruption in this country. And they are the owners of Shi and SHA. Ndio hao watu wa Adani. Na hao wakiwa na president utamungoja hata ukiwa CS hadi saa tano wakipanga hao mambo."Gachagua also linked Ruto to foreign policy decisions driven by personal gain, claiming the President recognised Kosovo to facilitate business deals and owns a hotel in Mombasa jointly with Kosovo's leadership. He also alleged Ruto has met with M23 rebels and the RSF, groups involved in regional conflicts, to pursue private commercial interests. The sheer volume and consistency of these allegations are deeply troubling. At COP28 in Dubai, Muturi said he was ordered to sign the KSh129 billion tree-planting deal on the tarmac. He refused, stating such a deal required legal review by the Treasury. Ruto, he claimed, wanted it done immediately, without scrutiny. Gachagua said even health sector reforms appear to have been corrupted by commercial motives. He claimed Ruto blocked NHIF's plan to upgrade its systems for Sh800 million, pushing instead for a Sh104 billion overhaul through a private vendor. When Muturi resisted approving health bills tied to the project, tensions escalated. On Monday, Gachagua revisited the issue of free fertiliser donated to Kenya by Russia and Algeria, stating that although it was meant to be issued to farmers for free, the President handed the fertiliser to his business associate who blended it with counterfeit fertiliser and sold it to the government at Sh4,000. "Russia donated 40,000 metric tonnes while Algeria donated 30,000 metric tonnes which was later given to Maisha Minerals Limited owned by Ruto's business associate. A report was written by Kebs but since it would indict Ruto, it was shelved. I have documents to support these claims," he added. However, documents released by the government indicated that Kenya received 33,835 metric tonnes (approximately 676,700 50kg bags) of fertiliser raw materials as a donation from the Russian government. The fertiliser raw materials were in forms that could not be applied directly by farmers and required blending and granulation into crop-specific fertilisers to support various value chains. Local fertiliser manufacturers were invited to bid for the blending and granulation of the donated materials into crop-specific, ready-to-use fertilisers. Maisha Minerals and Fertilisers Limited, one of the bidders for the contract, was awarded the tender to blend and distribute the fertiliser under the Fertiliser Subsidy Programme. The blended fertiliser was then delivered to the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB). Out of the 33,835 metric tonnes of donated fertiliser raw material, a total of 103,350 metric tonnes (approximately 2.069 million 50kg bags) of blended crop-specific fertiliser types were produced and distributed to farmers under the National Fertiliser Subsidy Programme. Gachagua claimed the President's commercial interests saw him recognise Kosovo as an independent state, claiming he is running a hotel in Mombasa in partnership with Kosovo's President. RSF leadership "The President is also in business dealings with RSF leadership and I can confirm he has also held meetings with M23 officials who are engaged in war with Democratic Republic of Congo," Gachagua claimed. Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah says the National Treasury being directly under the President has worsened the situation. "This has denied Kenyans basic services, and people are suffering," Omtatah said, adding Ruto's grip over the Treasury has created an unequal system where a select few receive payments while many suppliers and contractors wait endlessly. Civil society groups and former Ruto allies have turned whistle-blowers, pulling back the curtain on what they allege are corrupt dealings at the heart of the executive. However, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen is unimpressed by Muturi's transformation into a whistle-blower, suggesting that the former AG could be prosecuted for possessing sensitive documents-even as legal experts argue that such threats violate Article 35 of the Constitution, which protects citizens' access to information. "You are not the first Attorney General to be fired, neither the first to be changed. This is the lowest that an AG of Kenya has ever gone to and it is important that if you fall out with the Government, know your limits," Murkomen warned. But as deal-chasers, as claimed, have a field day at State House, employers, alongside economists and lawmakers, warn the government's increasing levies on workers' salaries is unsustainable. "Employees can no longer bear additional deductions," the Federation of Kenya Employers CEO Jacqueline Mugo noted. Former Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) Board Chairperson Irungu Nyakera, who claims he was fired for questioning Ruto's leadership, said that Kenya is bleeding. "Inflation is at a six-month high. Banks aren't lending. Loan defaults are at 15%. Almost Sh1 trillion in pending bills. Small businesses are shutting," Nyakera said, adding: "Youth are jobless. Families can't make ends meet. And yet, our leaders are moving around in choppers and big convoys, selling hope through PR and handouts. But Kenya is not a canoe."

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