BY SAM ALFAN.
A businessman narrated how he lost money believing that a tender for the supply of laptops to the Deputy President’s office was genuine.
Mak Motors director Charles Kamolo Musinga said he was introduced to a lady identified as “Miss Muhoro” by a friend named Augustine Matata. He said the lady would facilitate the tender at the DP’s office.
He told the court that Miss Muhoro also said she was the secretary of Wanyonyi who was the personal assistant to the Deputy President.
According to Musinga testimony in court, Miss Muhoro would later arrange a meeting in her office at the Deputy President’s office at Harambee Annex to pursue the tender.
On May 30, 2018, Musinga, Matata and another friend identified as Solomon drove to Harambee Avenue at 8am. They parked their car and sat at a Java café next to the DP’s office as per Miss Muhoro’s instructions, as they waited for her to call them into the DP’s office.
In the office, they found Miss Muhoro seated and she assured them that they had been shortlisted to supply laptops to the Ministry of Devolution. He then gave them a non-disclosure agreement.
According to Musinga, being taken to the DP’s office made them believe the tender, they were eyeing, was genuine.
At a later date, they met Miss Muhoro again at a hotel in Karen which allegedly belonged to Raphael Tuju. At the meeting she then asked for Sh500,000 for the facilitation fee.
The witness said on June 19, they met her again but this time she was in company of her “boss Wanyonyi” at Ole Sereni Hotel, where she gave them the Purchase order which indicated they were to supply 2,800 pieces of laptops.
He said they found a supplier and the first batch of 145 pieces were to be supplied to Treasury building, as per Muhoro’s instructions
“We were flagged by uniformed police (officers) and when they inquired we told them we were bringing the DP’s laptops and they said they were aware and let us through…We unloaded the goods and there were uniformed policemen to confirm the order,” he told the court.
They later went to the 8th floor at the Ministry of Devolution, where they met Christian Mwendwa who signed on the delivery order.
Since they could not get more laptops of HP 7th generation, they requested that they could supply different make, a deal which was agreed.
They supplied the second batch of 587 pieces which they were told to take to Eastleigh at their offices where they were informed a “Mr. Kiptoo’’ who was also a Personal Assistant to DP would be collecting the consignment.
According to the prosecution, Kiptoo is Allan Chesang who is the first accused person in the case.
The court heard that Kiptoo alias Chesang came with a police escort, driving a state of the art Range Rover KCJ1 with stickers of Parliament and the office of Deputy President.
Chesang also collected the third batch of 500 pieces and the fourth batch of 620 pieces using the same method.
Musinga told the court after they had delivered all the pieces, Miss Muhoro invited them with the chairman Wanyonyi at Ole Sereni and told them they had done a good job and they would give them another tender to supply ambulances.
