Activist petitions UK to withhold Sh181billion funding to Kenya Railways, seeks forensic audit
Awino say the president had to intervene by speUK government who had resolved to suspend the funding which according to Awino, shows that Mainga failed to independently manage the affairs of KRC.
A petition has been filed at the High Court seeking an independent audit of Kenya Railways over mismanagement of funds by the Managing Director Philip Mainga.
In his petition before Justice Chacha Mwita, Bunge la Mwananchi President and activist Francis Awino is seeking for orders to stop the British government from disbursing funds to Kenya Railways for the regeneration of land around Nairobi Central Railway Station into a modern Railway City to provide a sustainable urban space, creating a Transit Oriented Development (ToD).
Awino wants the UK to halt the funding until the affairs of the corporation are made transparent and accountable through a forensic audit.
“I am seeking that the court issues an Order directing the British Government to halt disbursement of all the funds, whether loan or grant receivable by Kenya Railways Corporation, pending the full audit on KRC. The UK Government should be directed not to release any funds payable to the Kenya Railways Corporation until the Respondent (MD Philip Mainga) conducts the affairs of the KRC in a transparent and accountable manner,” Awino stated in his petition.
The activist in his petition has revealed that the president had to intervene with the UK government who had resolved to suspend the funding, which according to Awino, shows that Mainga failed to independently manage the affairs of KRC.
“Despite securing an initial commitment of Sh181 billion from the United Kingdom, the project has faced setbacks due to mismanagement and tender disputes. The UK government has since suspended funding, citing irregularities,” Awino told the court.
“President William Ruto has had to personally intervene by engaging UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to salvage the project, an indication of KRC’s failure to independently manage its affairs,” he added.
The activist stated that Mainga has failed to inspire confidence in investors as he blamed him for a lack of a clear financial strategy.
According to Awino, the incompetence of the top leadership at KRC has made the corporation scramble for funds exacerbating its debt crisis and making Taxpayers burdened.
Awino, in his petition, blamed the MD for the numerous land disputes and evictions, which he says have not been transparent.
He cited the Embakasi case where Kenya Railways is alleged to have made payments to squatters a section of whom last week stated that they did not receive their money, fueling tensions between the corporation and the local communities.
“KRC has been involved in legal battles involving the grabbed land from the railway retirees, placing its management under scrutiny. Instead of solving the disputes transparently, Mainga’s leadership has been characterised by opacity, eroding public trust,” Awino stated in the petition.
He further accused the MD of signing deals that have put Kenya Railway’s infrastructure at risk, while he also failed to negotiate better deals for the corporation.
Awino wants the court to help recover all the funds lost through fraudulent procurements, illegal tenders, and financial mismanagement under the current MD.
He cited a instance in which a company owned by Peninah Patricks, said to be his longtime girlfriends, First Choice General Supplies, was awarded a tender worth Ksh 88.2 million resulting in his questioning by a parliamentary committee.
He added that the anti-corruption commission (EACC) should launch investigations and thereafter recommend the appropriate charges to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
