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| President Uhuru Kenyatta with DP William Ruto on the right is Mr. Ngatia. |
Controversial businessman Richard Ngatia is back
in the news once again, this is after he made an announcement to the effect
that he intends to run and succeed businessman Kiprono Kittony at the revamped Kenya
Chamber of Commerce and Industry as its President.
As really filtered that the secretive billionaire
could easily assume the powerful position sources within government allied to
deputy president have launched what seems to be an
underground campaign to stop the businessman, associated with the popular
Galileo restaurant, from ascending to the powerful position.
The allies to the deputy president are opposed to
Mr. Ngatia and are believed to have launched what seems to be behind the scene
campaign to link him to a controversial Chinese medical firm Mindray
Bio-Medical electronics ltd based in Keja 12 road, Nanshan, Shenzhen,
China. It is believed Mr. Ngatias firm Megascope limited is the sole
representative of the Chinese firm in the country.
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National Chairman
Kiprono Kittony (Right) flanked by Richard Ngatia at the back
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The firm has reportedly pocketed billions of
shillings from the Kenyan tax payer for the supply of theatre equipment’s to
all county hospital in the country , a deal said to have been
single sourced.
They want investigations opened over claims of
bribery and kickbacks facilitated by Mr. Ngatia, a known state house
frequenter.
Other firms with links to this unraveling scam
are Artema technology, SK Medical and Mindray Zonera all
said to be represented by Mr. Ngatia.
Mr Ngatia has in the previous
past been linked to a Ksh. 8 billion scandal at the ministry of health for
supply of 37 CT Scanners.
Multiple sources within parliament, the treasury
and the ministry of health have all revealed that the director of Megascope
Medical Suppliers Ltd Richard Ngatia is the man behind the scam. Late last year
he pocketed Ksh. 1.7 billion In advance payments for a tour of
China. He had organized the trip for members of parliament and a selected team of
individuals drawn from media houses to tour various pharmaceutical firms in
China. The trip never materialized and Mr. Ngatia never refunded the money. This
matter raised eyebrows within parliament’s budget committee chaired by Limuru
member of Kimani Ichunnga a member of the Tanga Tanga squad.
Each of the 37 Ct Scanner were to purchase at an
inflated cost of Ksh 235 million against the prevailing market price of
Ksh 75 million representing an inflated cost by 300 percent.
Chinas Exim bank has also made
arrangements with Megascope and treasury
to finance 80 percent of deal through
a costly bank loan with treasury paying the remaining 20 percent
But even as it approved the deal members of
parliamentary budget committee then questioned the viability of the deal given
that the Government had entered into a leasing agreement with medical equipment
manufacture, General Electric of the USA, as a matter of policy.
Under the managed equipment
(MES) Project ministry of health was to support devolution
through equitable , accessible , affordable and quality
health care with support from the national government.
Equipment suppliers are outsourced to supply,
install, train users, provide maintenance, repair and maintain such equipment’s
in facilities spread across the 47 counties.
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