Businesswoman Mary Wambui’s most popular automobile for State tenders has undergone a number of modifications to its title, boardroom and shareholding amid its pursuit of almost Sh20 billion price of presidency contracts over the previous two years.
Nightigale (E.A) Restricted has since rebranded from Nightigale Enterprises Restricted, whilst Ms Wambui, as soon as its majority shareholder, exited the corporate collectively together with her daughter inside two years of the tycoon becoming a member of public service.
Ms Wambui, an ally of President William Ruto, was co-opted into authorities after Kenya Kwanza gained the August 2022 Basic Election.
The corporate went on to win public contracts price at the very least Sh6.8 billion, even because it underwent a collection of modifications to its possession and boardroom.
In some situations, it disclosed completely different shareholders for contracts awarded on the identical day, in accordance with the Public Procurement Info Portal (PPIP), the federal government’s official on-line public procurement database.
As we speak, Ms Wambui’s title not seems within the firm’s registration paperwork. Court docket filings have, nevertheless, linked the businesswoman to the multibillion-shilling offers gained by Nightigale, together with a Sh4.9 billion reasonably priced housing mission.
Some activists have advised the courtroom that the frequent modifications to the corporate’s possession and boardroom had been meant to hide potential conflicts of curiosity. Ms Wambui has denied the allegations.
Filings on the Enterprise Registration Service present that Edward Njenga Muniu owns 90 p.c of the corporate, whereas Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui, a long-time affiliate of Ms Wambui, holds the remaining 10 p.c stake.
Mr Muniu has little discernible digital footprint. In one of many firm filings, he listed the postal deal with of Maasai Mara College as his correspondence deal with, elevating additional questions on his background.
It isn’t solely Nightigale’s filings on the Registrar of Corporations that inform an intriguing story in regards to the agency.
Its disclosures on administrators and useful house owners to procuring entities, as required below procurement legal guidelines, paint an equally attention-grabbing image.
Information from the PPIP reveals that on January 10, 2024, as an illustration, Nightigale was awarded two separate tenders on the identical day, but disclosed completely different shareholding constructions in every.
Within the first, a Sh1.32 billion contract awarded by the Athi Water Works Improvement Company for the development of the Kandara Water Provide Mission, the corporate listed Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui as its sole shareholder, in accordance with data on the Public Procurement Info Portal.
On the identical day, the corporate was awarded one other tender to provide copper winding wire to the Kenya Energy and Lighting Firm (KPLC). This time, procurement data confirmed Ms Kinyanjui holding 90 p.c of the shares, whereas Thomas Muya Njau held the remaining 10 p.c, elevating questions on when the modifications in possession happened.
The most recent main contract awarded to the corporate, in accordance with the procurement portal, is the Sh4.8 billion reasonably priced housing mission in Nairobi’s Mathare Constituency.
The contract, awarded by the State Division for Housing on November 25, 2024, listed Mr Muniu as the corporate’s sole shareholder.
Firm data now point out that Mr Muniu has since ceded a ten p.c stake to Ms Kinyanjui.
Earlier, on July 10, 2023, when Nightigale gained a Sh500 million contract from the Kirinyaga County Authorities to assemble County Aggregation and Industrial Parks, procurement data listed Mr Njau as the corporate’s sole shareholder.
The corporate later discovered itself on the centre of controversy after securing two multibillion-shilling framework contracts below the ICT Authority’s Digital Superhighway programme whereas Ms Wambui was serving as chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya.
Procurement data on the time listed Ms Kinyanjui as Nightigale’s sole shareholder.
Nonetheless, that didn’t cease the Client Federation of Kenya (Cofek), in courtroom filings, from alleging a battle of curiosity and claiming that Ms Wambui was the corporate’s final useful proprietor.
Ms Wambui has denied the allegations, whereas the Communications Authority has additionally rejected claims that there was a battle of curiosity.
Cofek argued that as a part of the requirement of the tenders, public staff and their shut relations, together with spouses, kids, brothers, sisters and uncles and aunts, weren’t eligible to take part.
The Digital Superhighway mission is being applied in two phases, with the primary allotted Sh5 billion and an additional Sh10 billion from the Common Service Fund earmarked for the second section.
Nightigale (E.A) Restricted’s company historical past stretches again to March 30, 2012, when it was integrated as Nightigale Enterprises Restricted, a few 12 months earlier than the Jubilee administration got here to energy.
The corporate was initially owned by Peter Njoroge Muchoku and Grace Wanjiku Muchoku, who held 700 and 100 bizarre shares, respectively.
The shareholding and directorship modified a number of instances over the subsequent decade.
In 2014, Evelyn Nyambura Mungai, Mary Wambui’s daughter, joined the corporate as a director and shareholder alongside Ephantus Githui Gathieka. Ms Mungai exited in 2018.
In 2019, Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui grew to become a director and shareholder after the exit of Mr Muchoku, whereas Samuel Maina Kariuki changed Mr Gathieka later that 12 months.
Mary Wambui first appeared within the firm’s data on April 9, 2020, when she acquired 600 shares from Mr Kariuki and Ms Kinyanjui. She was appointed a director the next month.
Following the 2022 Basic Election, Ms Wambui’s daughter returned to the corporate as a director and shareholder after buying Mr Kariuki’s remaining shares.
Inside per week, President William Ruto appointed Mary Wambui chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya. Three days later, she resigned from Nightigale’s board and transferred her 500 shares to her daughter.
In Might 2023, the corporate modified its title to Nightigale (E.A) Restricted. A month later, simply earlier than the corporate signed certainly one of its Digital Superhighway contracts, Evelyn Nyambura resigned as a director and transferred her shares to Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui, successfully ending the Wambui household’s direct shareholding within the firm.
Ms Wambui has lengthy been amongst Kenya’s best-known businesswomen, having risen from modest beginnings to turn into a serious authorities contractor, politician and influential determine in public life.
In 1996, she opened Purma Holdings Restricted, a clearing and forwarding firm, which gave her a begin in public procurement.
Her appointment as chairperson of the Communications Authority positioned her on the centre of Kenya’s digital transformation agenda whereas concurrently attracting scrutiny over corporations traditionally related together with her.
As she rose the ranks, she would later enter the world of plane, having registered Albatross Aviation, based mostly at Wilson Airport.
As she established herself as a ‘tenderpreneur,’ it was reported that she earned billions of shillings supplying boots, uniform and cereals to the navy and different State departments.
She was additionally reported to have earned multi-million-shilling offers with the Kenya Medical Provides Authority (Kemsa), together with provides linked to Covid-19 kits.
Purma Holdings, Charma Holdings, Enterprise Provides and Evertec Basic Buying and selling Firm, all related to Ms Wambui, had been awarded contracts price Sh6.85 billion for the availability of rice, beans and edible oils in 2022 and 2023 below the controversial import scheme that noticed the previous CEO of Kenya Buying and selling Company fired.
In recent times, she has additionally confronted monetary stress following litigation involving Glee Lodge, a property related together with her household pursuits.
The evolution of Nightigale—from its possession modifications to its position in main authorities initiatives—continues to draw public curiosity as courtroom proceedings over the Digital Superhighway contracts proceed.
Earlier than turning into President, William Ruto steadily accused the earlier administration of utilizing companies such because the Kenya Income Authority (KRA) and the Directorate of Legal Investigations (DCI) to focus on his political allies.
On the time, Mary Wambui was dealing with tax-related instances, prompting hypothesis that she was among the many allies he was referring to. Antony Mwaura, who additionally confronted authorized challenges, was one other determine broadly related to the claims.
Following President Ruto’s election in September 2022, a number of of the instances involving his allies had been withdrawn or in any other case got here to an finish.
Ms Wambui was subsequently appointed the chairperson of the Communications Authority of Kenya, whereas Mr Mwaura was named chairperson of KRA, appointments that some observers considered as recognition of their loyalty.
Extra not too long ago, Ms Wambui has returned to the headlines following the takeover of Glee Lodge, a property related together with her, by Fairness Financial institution amid a debt dispute. She has additionally sued Google in search of the removing of hyperlinks to studies regarding previous tax instances.
