House Committee to probe Grand Regency saga
(Hon Minister of Land, Mr Oregno addressing the press, further behind former MP Shikuku-File Photo)
BYBERNARD MOMANYI
NAIROBI, June 27 - Mystery surrounding the controversial sale of the prestigious Grand Regency hotel deepened even further with fresh revelations that the five star hotel may have been sold in January.
Lands Minister James Orengo had claimed that he learnt the secret sale on Thursday and accused some officials in his ministry of having played part.
Orengo, a reputable lawyer, said he had been informed that the sale agreement was secretly signed on Wednesday and gave officials he suspected to have participated in the secret plot seven days to explain the matter.
Members of a Parliamentary committee on Finance who called a press conference to respond to Orengo’s remarks expressed shock at the revelations.
“Orengo’s revelations are shocking. But we are investigating reports that the hotel may have been sold six months ago. Wednesday may have been a day the hand over was being done,” said Kisumu Town East Member of Parliament Shakeel Shabir who sits in the committee probing the saga.
The committee chairman Chris Okemo said they intend to summon the Lands Minister to help shed light on his revelations.
“We have already spoken to him and we understand he is out of town. We want to come and tell us what he knows because it will help in the investigations we are conducting,” Okemo told journalists at Parliament buildings early Friday.
The committee had recommended to Finance Minister Amos Kimunya and Central Bank governor Professor Njuguna Ndung’u to suspend the sale plan until investigations on the matter were completed.
The recommendation followed reports that the Treasury intended to sell the prestigious five-star hotel at a mere Sh2 billion without following the laid down procurement procedure.
The hotel was initially owned by wealthy businessman Kamlesh Pattni who was accused of having used stolen public funds through his Goldenberg International Company Limited (GIL) to construct it.
Pattni was arrested and charged in court before the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) entered into an agreement with him to forfeit the property in exchange of amnesty.
The hotel that sits at a prime plot on Uhuru Highway in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) was then reverted to the ownership of the Central Bank of Kenya which then appointed Receiver Managers.
Financial analysts and property managers estimate it may be valued at more than Sh7 billion at current market rates but it has since been sold at a mere Sh 2 billion.
“There is more than meets the eye in this secret sale of a public asset which has not been properly valued. We want the truth to come out,” said Igembe North Legislator Ntoitha M’Mithiaru, another member of the Parliamentary committee probing the matter.
M’Mithiaru said the Sh2 billion valuation which Finance Minister Amos Kimunya and others involved in the alleged secret sale relied on was done more than years ago.
“That is why we want to know the truth. Who did the valuation and how was the procurement done,” he posed.
The three legislators who addressed a press conference after a meeting at Parliament buildings said they were determined to defend and protect public property.
Shabir said he suspected the hotel may have been sold to Libyan investors during a recent trip to that country.
Asked why the committee had taken too long to get a clarification from the Finance Minister, Okemo said; “He has been evading us. We summoned him and he only showed up after we had left.”
Okemo displayed to journalists a letter he wrote to the Minister on May 29, 2008 in which they told him to stop the sale deal “until all issued were ironed out”.
On that same day, he said, his (Finance) PS responded saying, ‘Hon Kimunya is not comfortable with the position taken by the committee on the matter. He’d like to have a meeting with the committee’.
“The meeting was scheduled for June 6, 2008 and that is when he came long after we had left,” said Okemo.
“Ever since he has been evading us saying he is busy over the budget issues. We are going to summon him again.”
Courtesy of:http://www.capitalnews.co.ke/Local/House-Committee-to-probe-Grand-Regency-saga.html
3 users commented in " Grand Regency secretly sold, says Orengo "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackFolks,
You know what, get his Ass. No Ifs or Buts.
No riddles. Ati what!!!!!! Is Grand Regency for his father?
Kimunya must answer while behind bars.
If we have men in Kenya, and atleast 2 Grand Coalition Government leaders, quick decision must be made, right now for Kimunya to be locked in while investigations are going on. If he stays out, he might faulter with investigations and so he is a security risk.
Kimunya has to be proved and charged with the stealing of public financial utility & resources. People are hungry dying on the streets and here he is creating dangerous suspicious atmosphere by not complying according to directions/order from the investigating team. Let us see activities towards this matter taking effect within a few days.
Get His Ass!!!!!!!!!
Judy Miriga
USA
This kind of leadership has an identity crisis. In one of my articles early this year, I said in this Grand coalition few individuals (From central) want to use it to brush ODM with dirty tricks of Grand Corruption.
If the Accounts Committee wants to prove they can do their job, ask this evil Finance Minister to step aside and pave way for investigation.
Kenyans must ask and show their vision of a better free country by asking this Finance minister to resign.
This kimunya is and was a two side political coin that does not accept Kenya has changed.
There ‘s no problem that Kenyans can’t solve or a challenge they can’t accept. Goldenberg, Angloleasing and other open identical tribal mentality scandals by the same people.
This Kimunya must go and be an example of better Kenya to come. We the people of free Kenya and a great society offer astern warning to corruptors, kimunya’s, and the Karua’s. This time they will never buy their way out.
This Grand regency and Safaricom scandals explicitly targets Raila and ODM wave of doing things.
This is old stuff of economical hate fashioned by the Mt.Kenya elites warfare. It is a fight for 2012. This is a problem of amorous ethnic entitlement.
Kenyans; what better way to start than our top literary minds to train focus on where we want to go? May the rest of us will be enticed to follow.
ORENGO JAMES; you have our support to stop this nonsense politics in State house and PNU mafias.
Khaguli Maurice Nandwa
Western Kenya, Movement for Change.
The other day i wrote that kenyans should wake up. The country’s wealth is in the wrong hands.Kenyans should not expect Mt. Kenya Mafia to take care of wealth honestly. They are known every where to be dishonest,greedy and liars.
Look how Kimunya is running ministry of Finance where from bottom to top all are kikuyus.Are kikuyus the only people are fit to hold positions the ministry. Again the employees in Central Bank of Kenya,Kenya Revenus Authority ,and Capital Market Authority are mostly kikuyus.Now the position of CEO in the capital market authority is vacant and Kimunya is still shopping for a kikuyu to take over.Because the acting CEO is a Kamba ,kimunya is not willing to recommend her for the post.
Kenyans should wake up and deal with this disease of tribalism and corruption being practice by Kimunya at once.Kenyans can not be paying taxes for few people to enjoy.
The accord between Raila and Kibaki should be seen to be effective when dealing with corruption as the promised kenyans.Otherwise, let us go back for General Election to elect
creditable leaders like Orengo to be our president.
Karua as minister for Sheria should come out openly to be heard.She is asking kenyans to elect her as our next leader. This is the time we are going to judge her for the job.If she keeps her self away from this corruption then let us forget standing for any post.
Kimunya,Ndungu,and Ringera should be arrested be tried for theft and dishonesty which is economic crime. They are trying to implicate the president on this dirty work.The president
should not protect these dangerous people who are out to ruin our economy for their selfish
gains.
World Bank and IMF should come in and talk because the two custodian of our economy are
working against their terms and conditions.If the international organisations fail to talk
action against Kimunya and Ndungu then we kenyans are going to lose faith in them.
In fact,to developing countries,these two institutions seem to have friended leaders
because they longer follow their condition strictly. They have made leaders to become
more corrupt and undemocratic.It looks these leaders are made them equally corrupt.
Now the imf officials are in the country.We expect them to check this case properly. Kenyans were not happy the way World Bank local Director behaved during our genaral election.
It made many kenyans to quetion the creditability of the organization
Leave A Reply