Construction materials worth millions of money are being stolen from the Nairobi Metropolitan Services (NMS) storage sites and diverted to private homes and construction yards, investigations by The Informer have established.
Yesterday, senior officials attached to NMS directorate of Health Services, Roads Transport and Environment denied knowledge of the shady dealings.
The three directorates are controlling most of the projects under implementation that comprise huge chunk of the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy projects in transforming the city.
The lost materials are believed to have been stolen and resold on the black market and to private construction retail yards, shining a spotlight on NMS.
Our investigations have confirmed the well facilitated entity led by retired Major General Mohamed Badi’s and is largely funded directly by the national government has no centralised storage facilities to coordinate the inventory of construction materials of over 100 projects currently being implemented by NMS.
On Monday, June 27, 2022, a government owned truck registration number GKB 395W was loaded with construction materials whose manifest shows the items were declared as “630 of pieces machine cutter stones” destined for Githurai Level 3 Hospital but the vehicle was diverted towards Waiyaki Way from an NMS storage site domiciled at Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital in Muthaiga, Nairobi.
Mathari Hospital is offering storage site to tonnes of construction materials ranging from cement, paint, building stones, iron sheets, wheelbarrows and protective gear for projects under NMS Health directorate.
Speaking exclusively to The Informer on phone today, NMS Director of Health Dr. Ouma Oluga denied any knowledge of the scandalous activities but said investigations are underway to establish those behind.
“Yes there was a request to deliver hardcore materials to Githurai but we are trying to establish which vehicle was used… I don’t know about that. This is the first time I have heard that the materials are being diverted to private yards. What I know is that we requested Mathari to help us store some materials that we were using for the renovation of health facilities but sometime back the works stopped because the when they are not paid, the work stops and the materials stay there. There is a way that those materials should be requisitioned.” Ouma said.
Oluga’s assertions contradicts the items declared on a gate pass approved by Michael Otieno bearing the logo of NMS with inscriptions reading: “Nairobi Metropolitan Services Kazi Mtaani Health Project Gate Pass.”
Also, our investigations revealed the truck in question is attached to the Judiciary.
“Most of the drivers come with blank gate pass and say their boss has sent them to pick construction items to deliver to the sites. We have noted something fishy numerous times since the same lorry can ferry items without gate pass. They say their boss will sign for them later. That boss also at times communicates through phone to authorise the said deliveries. There are two sites one in Ruai and another off Waiyaki Way where these stolen materials are suspected to be offloaded.” Our source intimated.
Also, when The Informer visited Mathari Hospital management today morning, they disassociated themselves with the handling of the materials worth tens of millions noting that they only offer storage to NMS.
“I have no idea. It is only NMS who can confirm.” Hospital Administrator Alice Githumbi said.
NMS has built 24 new Level 2, 3 and 4 hospitals in the city that have been under construction by the entity since 2020.
Also, Mathari Hospital is under national government and not under the Nairobi County.
Besides Mathari storage site which provides storage for the Health directorate, the Roads and Transport directorate has two facilities along Kangundo and Nanyuki Road respectively.
The massive whiff of scandal is executed through coordination of insiders, rogue NMs officials and unscrupulous developers who use government owned vehicles to ferry the items using government vehicles attached to NMS.
In what points to a consistent and well perfected modus operandi, the items are loaded into the trucks, cleared for delivery to the requisite site but the items are diverted midway.
However, there site managers where the items are required to be delivered do not file any undelivered items making it difficult to audit the actual allocation of materials per site, usage or theft.
NMS was formed on March 9, 2020 under the Executive Office of the President as per the Executive Order No.1 of 2020 (revised) following an agreement that led to the transfer of four core functions from Nairobi City County government to the national government
Among the functions NMS is mandated to perform include; county health services; county transport services; county public works, utilities and ancillary services, physical planning and development.
It is also structured into several directorates notably; health, roads, transport and public works lands, housing & urban development environment, water and sanitation, treasury and planning, compliance, enforcement and legal services.
