CS Wahome denies awarding tender to controversial Turkish businessman Harun Aydin

Cabinet Secretary for Lands, Public Works, and Urban Development Alice Wahome has refuted reports that deported Turkish businessman Harun Aydin won a tender for affordable housing.

Wahome stated that the bid by the businessman, who is a close associate of President William Ruto since his days as DP, was rejected after due diligence was conducted.

“”Because our tendering procurement process is public and guided by the law, we are expected to do due diligence. The case you have referred to I do not know where you have got it from and I will seek to find out,,” Wahome stated.

The CS defended the government adding that due diligence is done to avoid the award of tenders to people involved or linked to money laundering.

“We do fact-finding and due diligence so that we don’t get people doing money laundering around with… money that is not clear. You know we have very tight regulations on financial reporting, “She defended.

The defence of the government by CS Wahome comes after the media reported that a company linked to the controversial Turkish businessman, who was in 2021 deported over money laundering links, won a multi-billion tender to build affordable houses making him a beneficiary of the State housing scheme.

The reports indicate that MHOA Africa Limited, owned by Aydin is part of a joint venture expected to build at least 1,000 houses partially funded by the 1.5 per cent housing levy deducted from the salaries of employed Kenyans.

The media reports indicated that MHOA Africa was registered in March 2023, six months after Ruto took over as president and Aydin co-owns it with his Turkish partner Hamit Demir.

MHOA is among the 200 companies that pre-qualified for affordable housing projects as it was selected under category A, reserved for those tasked with the construction.

So far, the government has constructed 140,000 affordable housing units, with a target of 200,000 units annually and 1 million over the next five years.

Additionally, plans are underway to release 5,000 affordable housing units to the public by April 2025, according to Lands CS Wahome.

The government is finalizing preparations for the handover and commissioning of these houses to provide decent and affordable housing, particularly for low-income earners.

Aydin rose to prominence in August 2021, when he was detained and deported by Kenyan authorities, who labeled him a suspect in terrorism financing and money laundering.

At the time, Aydin was part of a delegation scheduled to accompany then-Deputy President Ruto on a trip to Uganda but was abruptly blocked by immigration officials due to high-level intelligence concerns.

While the State linked Aydin to illegal activities, Ruto vehemently defended him, calling him a “victim of top-down arrogance bred by patronage and cartels that criminalize enterprise.”

In a tweet on August 7, 2021, Ruto accused the government of unfairly targeting Aydin, suggesting that the deportation was politically motivated amid his fallout with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Fred Matiang’i, then Interior Cabinet Secretary, stated that Aydin was deported over money laundering links and illegal movement into and out of Kenya.

The former CS added that the businessman was not charged in court due to Kenya’s cordial relations with Turkey Ayilin’s lawyer at the time, Ahmednasir Abdullahi, vowed to work towards his return to the country.

Aydin’s past is further clouded by allegations of terrorism.

Reports indicate that when 29 years old and a student, Aydin was arrested in 2001 in Frankfurt, Germany, and charged for “having planned serious acts of violence as a member of a terrorist group with an Islamic fundamentalist background.

The Frankfurt court described Aydin as a leading member of a militant group based in Cologne, led by Muhammed Metin Kaplan.

The group, known as the Federation of Islamic Associations and Communities, reportedly had 1,300 members, most of whom were Turkish. Aydin was found in possession of luggage containing camouflage clothing, a chemical weapons protection suit, a ski mask, and materials to produce an explosive detonator.

Investigators also discovered a CD-ROM with a training video for Islamic holy warriors, a suicide note to his wife, and a last testament.

He was accused of giving instructions for serious crimes, including murder and manslaughter, in several instances.

His lawyer, however, claimed that Aydin was traveling to Tehran for a book fair and had agreed to carry a suitcase for another Turkish passenger with excess luggage.

Before his arrest in Germany, Aydin had been sentenced to four years in jail for advocating the murder of a rival, Halil Ibrahim Sofu, but was later acquitted.