Questions over Ngatia’s academic credentials

• Mar 22, 2022

Questions over Ngatia’s academic credentials

By John Kamau, Editor, Arizona

Email:thingiragema@gmail.com

Questions have emerged over the credibility of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) president Richard Ngatia’s (pictured) academic credentials as he seeks the Azimio la Umoja ticket via Jubilee Party to gun for the Nairobi governor’s seat.

Ngatia, who was adversely mentioned in the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) multi-billion shillings scandal on supply of Covid-19 items and the Sh63 billion medical kits supply to counties’ scandal, now finds himself at the centre of another storm: holding fake academic papers.

Highly placed sources revealed that Ngatia presented to the Jubilee Party academic credentials obtained from a non-existent university in the Republic of Chile, a country in the western part of South America.

He also presented a result slip from a secondary school in Dagoretti indicating he scored B minus in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) while records at the said school show he scored D minus.

And now a loyal Jubilee Party member has written to the party seeking to be furnished with Ngatia’s academic records.

The petitioner, George Mwanzia Mutheu who is Jubilee Party Member Number JP131041823, in the letter demands to be furnished with copies of the academic credentials Ngatia submitted to the ruling party in his application to contest in the primaries.

Through Gitau and Kaburu Advocates, Mutheu quotes Article 180(2) of the Constitution of Kenya which provides that for a person to be eligible to contest county governor or deputy governor seat, that person must be a holder of a degree from a university recognised in Kenya.

Mutheu states that Ngatia does not meet the educational qualifications stipulated in law.

He avers that Ngatia does not hold a degree from a university recognised in Kenya and therefore should not be allowed to participate in the Jubilee Party nomination exercise for Nairobi City County Gubernatorial position.

The letter was received at Jubilee headquarters on 18th March, this year and duly acknowledged.

Sources revealed that Ngatia was at first hesitant to present his nomination documents to Jubilee headquarters fearing disqualification but was persuaded to do so by his backers.

The KNCCI president feared disqualification after it dawned on him that President Uhuru Kenyatta had directed the party to only clear aspirants with clean records and credible academic qualifications.

There are reports Ngatia was not issued with a receipt upon payment and there is a possibility of the party refunding him the nomination fee since he does not qualify to contest the primaries due to his fake academic records and involvement in corruption.

Already, panic has gripped Ngatia’s camp after it emerged he might not be cleared and that explains why he has been storming Raila’s events to try to persuade the ODM leader to intervene for him to get the Azimio ticket.

Highly placed sources at Jubilee Party headquarters revealed to us that the party fears if they clear Ngatia and he gets its ticket he will be disqualified by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) as he is still under investigations over the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) multi-billion shillings scandal.

The sources said the ruling party is contemplating rejecting Ngatia’s application just as it rejected Ann Ngirita’s application to vie for the Nakuru Woman Representative seat over her involvement in the multi-million shillings National Youth Service scandal.

The sources revealed that the ruling party also dispatched at team at the secondary school Ngatia attended to verify his result slip.

Ngatia, the sources added, after scoring D minus in KCSE was employed by tycoon Francis Mburu as a bouncer at Club Boomerang Ainsworth in Nairobi.

He was a member of an acrobatic troupe that was entertaining revellers when he caught the attention of the tycoon who employed and promoted him to a bouncer.

The sources added that the ruling party is also seeking to establish Ngatia’s business link with Deputy President William Ruto.

Of concerns is the directorship of Megascope Healthcare (ltd) where on paper Ngatia is the sole director.

However, there are reports a shadowy figure, a Mr Kiptanui is a director and the front for Ruto in Megascope.

The sources added that the sleuths are also investigating the nature of business Ngatia was engaged with former Kibwezi MP, late Kelembe Ndile, along Mombasa Road before he made it big in business.

Ndile eked a living from jumping onto lorries’ in-motion on Mombasa Road and looting goods being ferried to upcountry destinations.

  The sleuths are investigating whether Ngatia used the proceeds to invest in Galileo Lounge in Nairobi, a premier entertainment joint on Waiyaki Way.

Recently, netizens under #CovidBillionare called him out as a fraud over his involvement in the Kemsa scam where his firm, Megascope yanked the biggest share.

 The Kemsa scandal triggered national outrage that saw EACC summon directors of companies that supplied the goods to uncover the rot.

For Megascope, it was awarded a Sh765 million contract by Kemsa for the supply of personal protective equipment.

It also got a tender for the supply of SV300 ventilators at Sh165 million and a Sh35 million deal to supply KN95 mask at Sh700 each.

Megascope did the supplies though Ngatia is not a medical professional to undertake such tasks.

Ngatia was also mentioned in the failed Sh63 billion medical supply scam that has left taxpayers with more burden.

Today, taxpayers cough about Sh200 million each month to pay Ngatia though most of the equipment supplied are lying idle.

Cumulatively, Ngatia has pocketed over Sh24 billion in the deal. 

Besides that, Ngatia’s firm Megascope was also named in the Covid-19 donation saga from Chinese Billionaire Jack Ma where the firm was accused of stealing the donations and selling them to Tanzania

He, however, denied the claims and threatened to sue NTV who ran the expose.

Insiders revealed that the ruling party fears that a citizen can use the damming report by the Senate which indicted Megascope Healthcare Ltd to seek the court’s intervention to block Ngatia from being cleared by EACC.

The Senate report said Megascope was part of the rip-off in Kemsa and called on EACC to probe the firm.

According to the report, the contract for the supply of theatre equipment under Lot 1 of the project was awarded to Shenzen Mindray Biomedical Electronic Co., a company registered in China at Sh5.4 billion

However, Shenzen Mindray subcontracted Megascope in controversial circumstances that the Senate committee note was a tactic “used to circumvent the procurement process”.