Born in 1960, Musalia Mudavadi first entered Parliament as the MP for Sabatia Constituency on a KANU ticket in 1989 following the death of his father Moses Mudavadi. Moi had a good relationship with Musalia’s father who was largely seen as responsible for delivering the Luhya support for the Moi dictatorship. To maintain this support after the death of the senior Mudavadi, Moi appointed Musalia Minister of Supplies and Marketing. After returning to Parliament in 1992, Musalia was once again appointed a Minister, this time taking over the Ministry of Finance in January 1993, a post he led until the 1997 December elections, which Moi is accused by Raila to have rigged to return himself to power.
After this election, Musalia was appointed Minister of Agriculture in 1998, a time when he also served as Leader of Government Business in Kenya’s Parliament. He then moved to occupy the Ministry for Information, Transport and Communication in 1999 topping his political career as Vice President of Kenya and Minister for Transport and Communication in the run up to the December 2002 elections. The younger Mudavadi was bribed with the post of VP two months before the December 2002 elections and after KANU lost power, he went down in history as the Kenyan VP who sat in office for the shortest time ever. It is believed that this bribe prevented Mudavadi from crossing over to the Rainbow coalition, which later formed the government after defeating KANU. Within politicians who decided to work with Raila in ODM, Musalia was one of the most experienced in government, having worked under Moi for slightly more than a decade. But that is the better image depicting Mudavadi as the progressive politician who climbed the ladder to the top, from MP to Vice President, within a considerably short time.
During his tenure, documentation exists linking Mr. Mudavadi to a chain of corruption scandals that puts to question his credibility as a honest leader who could help change Kenya. According to the Paris-based research group — Centre d’Etudes et Recherches (CERI) — Mudavadi is one of the key politicians who was linked to two groups of Asian businessmen nicknamed the “G7” who had monopoly status of contracts in Kenya when Mudavadi was Finance minister. According to the CERI Report, which was published in April 1998, both Mudavadi and Attorney General Amos Wako (Both Luhyas from Western Province) were the Godfathers of Mr. Haten Singh Bishar who enjoyed monopoly status of contracts in Western Kenya. In government, Mudavadi worked with the well-known corruption guru in Kenya, Mr. Nicholas Kipyator arap Biwott, former Energy Minister whom, according to the CERI Report, was the Godfather of Harbinder Singh Sethi, another businessman who had monopoly status of contracts issued at that time by the Ministry of Energy.302 Mudavadi has been connected to the Anglo-Leasing type scandals that later came to haunt the Kibaki regime and that have been covered briefly in this book. The former Vice President was Minister of Transport when the fraudulent contract to procure VSAT equipment was signed in July 2002. On June 19 of the same year, Mudavadi wrote a project justification letter to the then Minister of Finance Mr. Chris Obure seeking exemption of the Postal Corporation of Kenya from the Audit and Exchequer Public Procurement Regulations of 2001 that was specifically set up to check corruption when it came to public procurements by government agencies.
In the same letter, Mudavadi went further and sought permission for the Posta Corporation to enter into direct procurement of goods and services from Universal Satspace (an American company), Spacenet Incorporated and First Mercantile Securities Corporation (both of Switzerland). The curious point is that according to the April 2006 Report from the Controller and Auditor General, the Companies in whose favour Mudavadi had written in his capacity as a Cabinet Minister did not exist. The Companies wanted to install broadband Network and VSAT equipment in 980 post offices across the country in a project baptized “Posta Surf ” at a tune of Ksh2.8 billion. The gist of Mudavadi’s intervention is that he wanted the companies awarded the contracts without any tendering as stipulated in law. In an Affidavit dated March 27, 2006, and signed by Julius Shigolia, the Secretary of the Postal Corporation of Kenya, Mudavadi’s letter “was totally unfounded, misleading and evidence of a conspiracy to defraud the Republic of Kenya.”303 Mudavadi wanted the contracts awarded to Satspace, which was not registered in Kenya and despite the fact that the same job could be done by Telkom Kenya. In his Affidavit, Shigolia claimed that a company called Gilat Alldean (Africa) had fraudulently claimed that it is the parent company of Spacenet, an American company, in order to give foreign companies a legal basis of participating in contracts in Kenya.
During the sixty-first day of the Goldenberg Inquiry headed by Justice Bosire, allegations emerged that Ksh5.8 billion was paid out “for no consideration” under the authority of Dr. Koinange between April 19, 1993, and July 6, 1993. During this period, Mudavadi was the Finance Minister and at the time of the Inquiry, it had not been established who the recipients of the money were. The money was routed through the Kenya Commercial Bank into private accounts. Although Mudavadi was never implicated directly as having been responsible, the question was how such a huge amount of money could have been transferred by his juniors and without his knowledge as Finance Minister. Corruption scandals came back to haunt Mr. Mudavadi to an extent that at one point, he was subjected to intensive grilling by the otherwise toothless Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission that was headed by Justice Aron Ringera.
After KANU was defeated, Mudavadi quit KANU to join Raila’s LDP for joint work because of the common cause of bringing the Kibaki government down. In the process of working with Raila, Mudavadi got the opportunity to shade off his dirty past and re-emerge as a new and fresh leader who could make a difference in Kenya’s democratization process.
Raila Odinga’s Stolen Presidency pgs 171-173
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About the Author
Mudavadi’s gamble may backfire
Friday, April 13, 2012
Musalia Mudavadi is in a very delicate political situation. His people the Abaluhya, or to be more specific, the Maragoli, expect him to run for the Presidency in Kenya’s next general election. The feeling among the people of Western Kenya is that it is now their time “to eat”, which is the euphemism for corruptly occupying important positions in the Government for the sole purpose of milking the country dry.Like most Kenyan Africans, the Abaluhya believe, with some very justifiable proof, that when Jomo Kenyatta was the President of Kenya, Kikuyus who were very close to him were given every opportunity to grab public land and corruptly accumulate wealth by the abuse of public offices they acquired through nepotism.
Like the rest of Kenyans the Abaluhya also believe President Daniel arap Moi perfected all the Kenyatta’s crooked ways of making money by the misuse of public office. Under him the Kalenjins who were close to him accumulated so much wealth through graft that they almost made the country broke. Well known corrupt activities such as the Goldenberg scandal created a class of Kenyans who were so rich that they were able to corrupt all the three arms of the government in the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary.
To the disappointment of many Kenyans Mwai Kibaki is, to all intents and purposes, also paddling in the same canoe as his two predecessors. Under him the country has seen the shocking syphoning of public funds by his closest friends through such heinous scandals as Anglo Leasing disgraces which have made a handful in powerful positions become multi billionaires in the short time Kibaki has been in power. Mudavadi’s community, like many others in the country, see the purpose of Government as the road to wealth through corruption, dishonesty and exploitation of the poor.
The formation of tribal political parties is therefore the only excuse by corrupt leaders to maintain the status quo which will obliterate all efforts to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor. Deep inside his heart Mudavadi knows this is very wrong for the country but to survive politically as a tribal leader he has to find a means of contesting the next general election as a presidential candidate if he is to expect any support from his tribe. Musalia also knows that the only genuine political parties that are seriously concerned with the welfare of the people are the ODM and Martha Karua’s Narc Kenya.
The rest are a collection of tribal organisations that hope to form the next government by cooperating among themselves for the same purpose of illegally “eating” from the public funds. The tribal parties are therefore the safest stepping stones to political power and they do not even bother to hide that fact. First there was the infamous KKK organisation uniting the Kikuyus, Kambas and Kalenjins. Now there is Gema and Kamatusa which are presumably going to be joined by the so called Wiper Democratic Movement of Kalonzo Musyoka.
If the tribal leaders had their way they would unite to hoodwink the Kikuyus, Embus and Merus under Gema; Kalenjins, Masai, Turkanas and Samburus under Kamatusa, the Kambas under the Wiper party and now Musalia Mudavadi’s yet to be formed party that would ostensibly unite the Luhya people. The people will soon be fed with the most raw propaganda of “our time to eat” when in reality the tribal leaders will be uniting to oppose the new Constitution which is proving to be too bitter a pill for the corrupt leaders to swallow.
Musalia Mudavadi knows very well that the ODM has accepted his conditions of organising the party’s primary elections from the grassroots to nominate presidential, senatorial and gubernatorial candidates. He, more than anyone else, knows that party rules demand that that cannot be done without amending its constitution. The notice to amend the party constitution to adopt Mudavadi’s proposals has been given to the registrar of political parties and a timeline has been established to follow and implement the proposals before the next general elections.
Meanwhile the party had to get itself registered in preparation for the next elections and also in an effort to meet the required legal deadlines. Musalia knows there was no sinister plan to register the party without the necessary constitutional amendments in order to stab him in the back. But he also knows even if the elections were to be organised from the grassroots level Raila would beat him hands down. Forming his own political party could only mean the end of his political career as there is no hope in hell of him getting elected the next President of the Republic of Kenya.
Gema and Kamatusa together with the Wiper party would never support Mudavadi’s presidential candidature. Their purpose of appearing to back him at the moment is a cunning scheme to weaken both ODM and Raila. With Musalia out of the ODM all the KKK plans would be much easier to implement as the Luhya people would be seriously divided with some supporting their new tribal party and others, among the enlightened ones, remaining in the ODM.
If Musalia therefore wants to remain in politics after the next general election he has to remain in the ODM which can offer him an easy-to-win governorship or a seat in the Senate from a variety of constituencies. He must not dream of being the party’s presidential candidate or even Raila’s running mate as the team of the two would be seen as an attempt at establishing an exclusive government of western Kenya leaders.His biggest task at the moment must be to preach the gospel of the new Constitution to his Luhya people, and indeed the rest of Kenyans, to make them realise the days of tribal politics in this country disappeared with the promulgation of the current constitution.
With or without Mudavadi ODM should now start campaigning as one of the two parties that both supports and intends to implement the new Constitution. Kenyans overwhelmingly supported the new constitution so as to take part in the onerous task of bridging the gap between the rich and the poor. Kenyans want to hear from all the political parties, which are serious about development in this country, a clear elaboration of how they intend to implement chapter six on leadership and integrity and chapter five on land and environment.
None of the tribal political parties that are being revamped or given new faces now have any manifestos showing how they intend to expeditiously implement the new constitution. As a matter of fact none of the tribal leaders is talking of change in Kenya. All they want is to find ways and means of perpetuating their stay in power from where they will continue to exploit the people of Kenya.
Joe Kadhi
Kenya: Mudavadi Denies Role in Cemetery Scandal
By Alphonce Shiundu, 6 May 2010
Nairobi — Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi has told a House Committee that he was not involved in the Sh283 million cemetery fraud.
The minister said “there was no record” of correspondence seeking his approval on the matter.
He said all the correspondence ended at the office of the suspended Local Government Permanent Secretary Sammy Kirui and never made it to his desk.
“Anybody looking at this matter will come to the conclusion that the minister wasn’t supposed to be in the know over the matter,” said Mr Mudavadi during the meeting at Parliament’s County Hall Thursday.
But as the minister pleaded ignorance, an officer from the Controller and Auditor General’s office in charge of City Hall, Ms Tabitha Waweru, said Mr Mudavadi ought not to have waited for the PS to brief him.
“The law requires that the council must have written to the minister to purchase such property. Whether the PS gave information or not, the minister should have gone further and sought information,” said Ms Waweru.
Seek authority
However, Mr Mudavadi, also Local Government minister, insisted that the officers involved in the scam did not bother to seek his authority even where it was required.
The auditors also noted that the mere fact that the purchase price for the cemetery land was “exact up to the last cent as the budgeted amount” ought to have raised queries.
Mr Mudavadi said that it was such issues that proved that the whole purchase of the fraud must have been hatched long before he took over the Local Government docket.
While he agreed that he was aware that a huge chunk of the cash had ended in people’s pockets, he maintained that he did not receive “even a cent” of the loot.
The minister said Mr Kirui must have deliberately locked him out of the cemetery purchase project.
“If a matter of such great importance is not communicated to me, then your guess is as good as mine, as to what other crucial information was kept away from me,” said Mr Mudavadi.
“The PS did not make any serious effort to keep me appraised on this matter.”
He added that a minister and a permanent secretary operate on trust and faith, and if the two don’t exist, then there’ll be communication breakdown.
Skip protocol
Pressed by committee chairman Thomas Mwadeghu (Wundanyi, ODM) and members Benjamin Langat (Ainamoi, ODM), Nemesyus Warugongo (Kieni, PNU), Wilson Litole (Sigor, ODM) and Musa Sirma (nominated, ODM), the minister said that “it would look strange” if he skipped protocol and started seeking information from junior officers.
The minister said the PS should have been “more serious” and followed up their informal discussions with official letters; but it seemed “Mr Kirui had a completely different motive”.
Mr Mudavadi said that he was aware of the grey areas in the procurement when the matter ended in Parliament on June 4, 2009, through a query raised by Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi (Kanu).
“Prior to that, nothing was brought to my attention concerning this matter…none of the documents between the Ministry and the city council was copied to me,” said the minister.
SHOULD MUDAVADI RESIGN DUE TO CEMETERY SCANDAL?
by Denzel Musumba
Fri, May 7, 2010 follow
Suspended PS Sammy Kirui claims Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi is a “pathological liar”. Mr Kirui said Mudavadi, also Local Government Minister, “deserves the title Liar Emeritus” for denying knowledge of the transaction leading to the scandalous purchase of cemetery land for Sh283 million. He discredited the minister over his sentiments on the land, saying Mudavadi “had a more than passing knowledge of what was going on,” but ran into trouble with Local Authorities and Funds Committee for the categorical claims which he varied and later amended considerably. Committee chairman Thomas Mwadeghu asked Kirui to refer to Parliament’s Hansard for the minister’s actual account of the transaction in Parliament last year, before launching accusations when Kirui said his claims were based on Press reports. Released Cheque Kirui has been charged with fraud over the sale. He told the committee Edith Torome, a State counsel allegedly advised not to interfere in the sale, accused him falsely out of spite for recommending her transfer from the Local Government Ministry. But Kirui admitted releasing a Sh175 million cheque to private lawyers involved in the sale on December 19, 2008 without ascertaining if the money was destined for the cemetery plot at Mavoko Municipal Council or a separate one the City Council wanted at Embakasi in Nairobi. The latter deal had been cancelled.
Come clean on Goldenberg, Raila tells Moi and Mudavadi
News
Sunday, November 17, 2002
The opposition yesterday reopened the Goldenberg can of worms, with a challenge to President Moi and Vice-President Musalia Mudavadi to explain how the country lost billions of shillings in questionable export payouts.
Former Energy minister Raila Odinga claimed that the two knew how the country lost the money, and dismissed as “a lie” Mr Mudavadi’s explanation in which he distanced himself from the scandal.
Addressing a NARC rally in Ngong Town, Mr Odinga said: “Musalia and (President) Moi know the whole truth about Goldenberg and they should come out clean.
“Mudavadi was the Finance minister in 1993. He first paid out the Sh5.8 billion in export compensation and then the Sh13.5 billion. I know what I am talking about. I stand for the truth and the VP and the President should come out and prove me wrong.”
Addressing the rally attended by NARC presidential candidate Mwai Kibaki and former Vice-President and Finance minister Prof George Saitoti, Mr Odinga claimed that Mr Mudavadi must have been aware of what was going on since he was the minister in charge.
But in a quick reaction, both the President and the VP separately dismissed the claims as cheap politics and propaganda.
By NJERI RUGENE
Here Comes THE MOST MODERN REVOLUTIONARY A KENYA WOMAN >READ HER BLOGG>http://www.zeleza.com/blog/wandia-njoya?page=15
MRC(MOMBASA REPUBLICAN COUNCIL)>Hon. Ali Hassan Joho
PRESS RELEASE
My attention has been drawn to media reports appearing in today’s dailies that seems to suggest that I, Hon. Hassan Ali Joho, the Transport Assistant Minister has endorsed the newly inaugurated KPA board of directors that was recently gazetted vide several Gazette Notices.
This is far from the truth.
I wish to state from the onset that I am a firm believer of ethnic balance when it comes to appointment to public office.
As regards to the appointment of the board of directors at the KPA, I wish to state from the onset that we as the people of Kenyan and in particular the Coast region are able to amicably secure a solution to this contentious issue.
An in-depth analysis of the Gazette Notices will reveal that out of 14 positions in the KPA Board, there were seven (7) positions that we have no control over. These are statutory positions various Ministries and the Government has control over. Unless the responsible Ministries opt to appoint individuals drawn from various ethnic extractions, me any you may not be in a position to correct the anomalies in the short term.
These institutions include;
• Treasury.
• PS Transport.
• Attorney General.
• Inspector of State Corporations.
• Kenya Railways.
• KPA Managing Director.
• KPA Company Secretary.
Having scrutinized the Gazette Notices, the Coast region where KPA is located, was allocated three (3) slots through the appointments of Mr Barmadi Shukri (Chairman), Mrs Khadija Karim (Director) and Mr Abdallah Fadhil (Director). The other remaining four slots were allocated to other individuals.
I wish to state and make it clear that the Kenya Port Authority is a strategic asset to the people of Coast and I as a leader will do what it takes to ensure that it remains an asset for the present and future generation residing in the Coast region.
I shall be the last person to condone any attempts that seeks to dispossess the coastal communities of this vital strategic asset.
Coast needs more representation in KPA board and as a leader from the Coast region; I’m in agreement with the desire and wishes of Coast Members of Parliament and opinion leaders that the region needs to have an enhanced representation in the board.
As your representative, I undertake to fulfill this desire. I have already petitioned the Minister for Transport Hon. Amos Kimunya to consider this matter urgently.
Your will be seeing action shortly.
Hon. Hassan Ali Joho, MP
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT
How comes Al-shaabab man Own Over a 100 acres of Land in The Forest City>Ahmednasir Abdullahi in Karen land row
JUDICIAL Service Commission member Ahmednasir Abdullahi is at the centre of a bitter 87 acre land row in Karen where around thirty longstanding residents face eviction. The Mukinduri Lane Residents Interest Group petitioned Chief Justice Willy Mutunga on November 14, 2011 to intervene over the matter. Read More
With all this scandles, including the cemetry scandle I am suprised why anyone would want to allow Musalia into the State House.
A Kikuyu Mafia killed a Kenyan youth >Hawa Wakikuyu>http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=U_6rfRClfrc#!
Why is Gema blocking the new Constitution eg Police Reforms and Gema occupying Mostly sesitive Organs of the Govt?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nM4ss2mumxM&feature=relmfu