Embattled Youth Affairs PS Lillian Omollo Reveals President Uhuru Kin Company's Role in NYS Scandal

Remanded Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Lillian Omollo has come out to reveal how a sour supply deal with a company linked to President Kenyatta's kin exposed the multi-billion scandal at the National Youth Service (NYS).

 PS Omollo revealed the intricate details of the deal-gone-wrong in a statement recorded with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Standard reports.

In the report, the PS says Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua requested her to accompany him to Muthaiga, where retired President Mwai Kibaki was meeting Opposition leader Raila Odinga. This waa a few weeks before the media exposed the scam.

At the periphery of the meeting, she says Kinyua introduced her to a man by the name Githinji, who works with PetroKenya and Horizon group of companies, which had previously supplied diesel to the NYS.

 “At the function, by pure coincidence, I met a man, whom I had never met prior, and who, as soon as he was introduced to me, informed me he has payment claims he was following up at the NYS,” said the PS.

“The man introduced himself as Githinji and said he works with PetroKenya and Horizon group of companies which supplied petroleum products to the NYS under the former management,” she continued. 

“The man further informed me in the presence of the Head of Public Service that the person who had been assisting him on the claims at NYS was Captain Michuki whom we had recently removed from the service,” she said.

PetroKenya Oil, a company co-owned by Paul Gatheca Muhoho, who is President Uhuru's uncle, and businessman Gor Semelango is said to have been sub-contracted by Horizon Ltd, a firm owned by Ben Gethi to deliver the fuel directly to NYS. Ben Gethi was among individuals adversely  mentioned in the first scandal at the NYS in 2015.

Ms Omollo further says that the Office of the Attorney General, in a letter dated November 3rd, 2017, advised her to make payments to PetroKenya Oil Company off their claims against Horizon amounting to Sh68 million.

The letter from AG's office reads:“In view of the above, NYS is advised to promptly settle the debt to avoid further escalation of costs and by consent of the parties the matter be marked as urgent.”

The PS claims that refusal to release payments to PetroKenya and Horizon during the meeting at Kibaki’s residence was the final trigger before reports of the scandal broke out.

"A few days later, Captain Michuki bumped into one of the NYS suppliers at a social establishment," PS Omollo's statement continues.

Ms Omollo, who is currently remanded at Lang'ata Women Prison, says she received threatening messages over her refusal to release the cash to PetroKenya. She further says that she was promised that investigations into loss of cash at NYS would be called off if she agreed to the demands from the supplier's agent.