Senator Okiya Omtatah claims Gov't financed businesswoman Ann Njeri in Ksh.17B oil saga

Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has alleged that the government financed businesswoman Ann Njeri Njoroge in the contentious Ksh.17 billion fuel deal.

Omtatah, who took to X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, claims that the State through Treasury Cabinet Secretary Prof. Njuguna Ndung'u funded the businesswoman in June to import the fuel and that she is only being used as collateral.

In documents he shared on the social platform, Omtatah cited a past gazette notice dated July 13, 2023 where CS Ndung’u authorized the withdrawal of Ksh.17.2 billion from the Consolidated Fund to subsidise a ‘private enterprise.’

“As per the Statement of Actual Revenue and Net Exchequer Issues gazetted by Prof. Ndung'u, the CS Treasury, vide Gazette Notice No. 9734 of 13 July, 2023, the ministry withdrew from the Consolidated Fund some Kshs. 17,224,718,632 in June 2023, at the closure of the FY 2022/2023, for subsidies to private financial,” stated Omtatah.

The Busia legislator thus asserts that Njeri is the ‘private firm’ referred to in the notice.

“Whereas what was financed by the 50955 19 Clauses (a) and (b) above is not disclosed, there is a direct correlation between the Kshs. 17,224,718,632 which was unconstitutionally withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund in June 2023 to subsidise unnamed private financial enterprises and the Kshs.17 billion contested oil shipment between Ms Njeri and the two Cabinet Secretaries,” he noted.

The lawmaker, who seemingly remained skeptical of the statements recently issued by Energy CS David Chirchir and his Roads and Transport counterpart Kipchumba Murkomen that the 100,000 metric tonnes of oil belonged to Galana Energies and not Njeri, tasked the duo to shed light on the deal and the expenditure of the Ksh.17.2 billion.

“I have reason to suspect that Ms Njeri, who from all indications could not have raised the Kshs. 17 billion, which was used to purchase the fuel, is the 'private financial enterprises' funded in Clause (0) that received the Kshs 17,224,718,632 from the Ministry of Petroleum and Mining. And the contested shipment of oil is the product being used to launder the money through Galana Energies,” Omtatah said.

“I challenge Petroleum and Mining CS Chirichir, and Transport CS Murkomen to stop fooling the nation and come clean on their relationship with Ms. Njeri, whom I reasonably believe is their front in the heist, whom they have fallen out with.”

This comes after CS Chirchir on Wednesday came out to state that the businesswoman forged documents and was not the owner of the consignment since her company is not even licensed to import petroleum.

"I can confirm that Anns Import and Export Enterprises Limited has not signed the transport and storage agreement as required under Regulation 6 of the Petroleum (Importation) Regulations, 2023 and cannot therefore qualify to be an oil marketing company,” he said.

The National Assembly Energy Committee has since summoned businesswoman Njeri to appear before it and shed light on the matter.