Deputy President William Ruto Family Company Being Investigated over Maize Scandal

A company owned by Deputy President William Ruto’s family is among 62 companies being investigated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in connection with the alleged Sh5.6 billion scandal at the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

The Star reports that Koilel Farm Limited received a payment of Sh20.8 million from NCPB for supplying 11,844 bags of maize to the Eldoret depot.

Koilel Farm is registered in the name of Ruto’s wife Rachael Chebet and son Nicholas Kipkurgat.

In a letter to the Strategic Food Reserve Trust Fund, EACC says there are reasons to investigate the company alongside 63 others that are said to have received millions of shillings for supplying maize to the government agency. EACC doesn't however state when Koilel Farm supplied the maize to NCPB.

Speaking to the Star, Koilel farm lawyer Kipchumba Karori says the Deputy President family had 430 acres of maize in Moiben Constituency and supplied about 6,000 bags to NCPB.

“I have the clustered weight and how it was delivered and the vehicle number that delivered and the time when the vehicle checked into the Eldoret Cereals and Produce Board,” he says.

The lawyer also revealed that EACC detectives visited an agrovet in Eldoret where Koilel purchased farm inputs and received a clean bill of heath.

A section of Rift Valley MPs recently called for investigations into Ruto’s involvement in the maize scandal.

There are claims that unscrupulous business proprietors imported cheap maize into the country and sold them to NCPB at higher prices at the expense of genuine Kenyan farmers.