Muriuki Njeru, UDA’s candidate for Mbeere North mini-polls, the face behind Sh433million oxygen plant scandal at KNH

Little known businessman-cum-politician and the supposed preferred candidate for the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party touted as the likely contender to be handed a direct party nomination in the upcoming Mbeere North parliamentary by elections Leonard Njeru Muriuki has been unmasked as the face behind the scandalous and now stalled Sh433million oxygen plant at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), documents seen by The Informer Media Group show.

Muriuki also goes by a popular village name ‘Leonard Leo Wa Muthende’ on his social media platforms.

The tender was awarded to Biomax Africa Limited, a firm owned by Muriuki in May 2022 after the Ministry of Health controversially granted Muriuki’s firm the contract for the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of a medical oxygen plant at KNH, aiming to generate 8,000 liters per minute (LPM).

With little track record in large-scale medical infrastructure, Muriuki’s firm emerged as the winning bidder for the Sh443.6 million contract.

Investigators now believe the documents that secured Biomax Africa the deal were falsified, and that the Ministry of Health’s tender evaluation committee, under the then Principal Secretary Susan Mochache’s watch failed to conduct even the most basic due diligence.

Pre-shipment inspection in France was undertaken in May 2023, a Kenya Health Ministry/KNH team led by the hospital’s Supply Chain Director, Rose Njoroge — inspected equipment at Novair’s facility in Paris. Their report affirmed 100 per cent compliance with tender specifications.

However, massive underperformance was noted upon installation the plant managed only 2,800 LPM, a drastic shortfall from expectations.

Owing to what has been attributed as contractor failures, KNH paid over Sh100 million for a transformer and generator costs that, under original terms, should have been covered by the contractor.

Further, the plant’s inefficiency spiked KNH’s annual electricity bill by Sh500 million more than double previous charges leading to unnecessary and avoidable massive operational expenses financed by the taxpayer in the event the contractor honoured the execution of the terms of contract to the letter.

Prior to the 2017 General Elections, Muriuki, then Embu gubernatorial aspirant unsuccessfully took part in Jubilee Party primaries.

He was among the candidates seeking to unseat the then governor Martin Wambora who managed to successfully defend his seat during the2027 polls.

Currently, Muriuki, despite a dark cloud of graft claims hovering over his head involving ShSh433million oxygen plant controversial tender by KNH awarded to Biomax Africa Ltd, a firm linked to him, Muriuki is touted as a front contender in the upcoming Mbeere North constituency mini-polls slated for November.

The Informer Media Group has reliably learnt that the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party led by president William Ruto is considering to issue a direct ticket to Muriuki.

“Muriuki is being touted as a frontrunner,” A UDA party official revealed.

So far, UDA party has at least twelve contenders even as former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s led Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) is marshalling support to trounce Ruto’s party in the restive Mount Kenya region.

The Mbeere North seat which fell vacant following the appointment of former MP Geoffrey Ruku as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service following the sacking of his predecessor Justin Muturi will serve as a litmus test on Ruto’s eroded popularity in the region and Gachagua’s seemingly growing political base.

“The Mbeere North seat is a do or die. It is a race between President Ruto and his estranged former deputy Rigathi Gachagua who was impeached.” A senior UDA official intimated.

The high stakes by-election also attracts regional forces including that of Muturi aligned to Gachagua and Embu governor Cecily Mbarire who also doubles as UDA’s national chairperson.

According to a report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the committee is alleged to have “failed in carrying out its duty of care by not conducting due diligence on the bid documents before awarding the tender to Biomax Africa Limited.”

Further, according to documents seen by The Informer Media Group, KNH Chief Executive Officer Evanson Kamuri declined to sign a report which highlighted several anomalies in a Sh443.6 million tender awarded to Biomax Africa Ltd two years earlier during a December 29, 2024 Board of Management meeting.

Instead, Kamuri who was appointed KNH CEO in 2019 told the board that it had no power to investigate procurement contracts, and questioned the engagement of the hospital’s biomedical engineer, Patrick Chepkonga, as the document’s drafter.

According to records, the whole circus began in 2022, inside the imposing walls of Afya House, headquarters of the Ministry of Health.

Investigators allege that it was here, under the technical leadership of the then PS Mochache, a crucial decision was made: the Ministry, not KNH, would procure a new oxygen generation plant for the hospital.

The rationale for why the procurement would originate at Afya House was never made public, but insiders claim the move was both unusual and unnecessary.

KNH, a semi-autonomous parastatal, has its own procurement capacity and had managed similar projects in the past.

The report goes further, alleging that Mochache and her team “failed to ensure that the procurement process conformed to the law before awarding the contract.”

Meanwhile, Biomax Africa, working with French manufacturer Novair Group, was supposed to deliver a fully functional oxygen plant.

Instead, two years later, the hospital is still buying oxygen from private vendors a cost that would have been needless had the plant worked as promised.

Records at KNH show that between July 2023 and February 2024, KNH spent more than Sh168 million on liquid oxygen, money that could have been saved if the plant had been delivered.