MPs asked to probe financial, procurement impropriety at JKUAT Enterprises Limited
An explosive petition has been filed at the National Assembly demanding for investigations into alleged financial mismanagement at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Enterprises Limited (JKUATES) and the culprits brought to book.
This comes barely three months after the National Assembly Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education, chaired by Jack Wanami Wamboka fined JKUAT Enterprises Sh500,000 in October 2025 for failing to provide financial documents requested by the Auditor-General, leading to a special audit order due to unexplained financial issues like paying for undelivered work and high arbitration costs.
In a damning public whistleblowing petition, Amos Nyasani, the petitioner has urged the National Assembly Public Petitions Committee to engage the management of JKUAT Enterprise Limited headed by Erastus Mvuria and, other relevant authorities and investigate alleged financial mismanagement at the institution, where he claimed that taxpayers continue to be abused.
In his petition dated November 21, 2025 and formally received by the Clerk of the National Assembly on November 29, 2025, Nyasani cites alleged white elephant projects designed to siphon public funds, tendering and procurement irregularities among other ills.
He also says the JKUAT University enterprise wing has been ran down by poor management and it is currently insolvent.
Nyasani ow wants Parliament to make recommendation compelling JKUAT Enterprise Limited to provide a detailed report within 30 days on the status of the projects undertaken at the facility, including how the funds were invested and the reasons for the continued sinking of public money in dead venture.
He has also called on the committee to recommend prosecution of those found culpable of abusing public funds that would have otherwise been directed towards worthy undertakings like capitation to public schools among others and to give way forward on the issues he raised in the petition including recovery of the funds abused.
“I, Amos Nyasani, on behalf of small holder tea farmers, draw the attention of the House that, JKUAT, a public institution tasked with the highest responsibility of ensuring prudent us of public funds, sank millions of hard-earned public funds in a dead venture in the name of industrial park. The action exposes an institution wrought with wastage of public funds at a time the government is finding it difficult to raise revenue to finance its operations,” he said in the petition.
The petitioners claimed that JKUAT Enterprise Limited, registered losses for the fourth consecutive year and is technically insolvent as assets stand at Sh277million against the liabilities of Sh295.7million, thus a deficit of Sh18.75million.
They said that the negative working capital was an increase compared to the Sh14.3 million deficit recorded during the 2021/22 financial year and the company’s current ratio of 0.94 percent is below 1 percent, an indication that the company may not be able to settle all its debt obligations when they fall due.
“The board and management, in the past and recent financial statements, have taken strategic initiatives to improve the financial performance, including working capital of the company but these initiatives do not appear to have yielded the intended results. Part of the wastages includes the excess number of staff at the Industrial Park, the awarding of the insurance tender to the highest bidder, unsupported board expenses and irregularities in using the Quotation method of procurement,” they claimed.
According to them, there are instances of use of non-prequalified or registered consultants and claimed procurement documents reveal that consultancy services were procured from various consultants and paid Sh27.3million.
They stated that, this is notwithstanding that the companies contracted were not in the pre-qualified list of registered suppliers and that no valid reason was given by the management in violation of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal (PPAD) Act of 2015.
He also said that Section 71 (4) of the PPAD Act provides that the list of registered suppliers shall be applied on the alternative procurement methods as specified and appropriate.
But he said that examination of the procurement documents revealed that JKUAT Enterprise Limited awarded the tender for the insurance and Work Injury Benefit Act (WIBA) to a local insurance company at Sh5.4million, overlooking the lowest bidder, another local insurance firm that had quoted Sh4.9 million.
He also said in the petition that no reasons were provided for not awarding the tender to the lowest bidder and in the circumstances, the company was in breach of the law.
“The notification to the unsuccessful bidders did not include the tender price contrary to regulations 82 (3) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Regulations of 2020. A review of the company staff establishment revealed that the approved staff number is 136 staff.”
He added: “But assessment of the authorized number of staff in various departments within the organization against the actual number of staff in position as at June 30, 2023, revealed an excess of 26 staff members. The excess staff is contrary to section Human Resource Policies and Procedures Manual for the Public Service of 2026,” he explained.
However, when contacted for comment via mail and short text messages, JKUATES Managing Director Mvuria did not respond to our queries by the time of going to broadcast.
