MCA’S Corrupt Deal Backfires As Accomplices Freaks, Sells Out To The Media
The Matinyani Ward MCA has hit the headlines one more time; his deal to ‘influence’ a 1.8 million tender award backfiring right on his face, after the youth he obtained money from freaked out and spilt it all to the media.
The 26 year old Tony Katana got uneasy when Hon. Sylvester Munyalo Kitheka, the Matinyani Ward Representative, got suddenly evasive and stopped answering his calls, after he allegedly bribed him a whooping Ksh. 40,000 following his promise to influence his awarding of a pipeline extension tender in Matinyani Ward. Tony approached Kitui Newspaper with the intention of publishing a paid notice for the refund of the money, failure to which he would take legal action. Innocently, he spilt all the beans on the deal; including screenshots of their conversations, his transaction histories, and call logs of both the legislator and his uncle who was brokering the deal.
Tony, a youth from Syongila in Kitui Central, who has family ties with the Mwendwa’s family in Matinyani; revealed to the Kitui Newspaper reporter that his Uncle, Mr. Ngala introduced him to the MCA, who is populary known as Yaamu. He disclosed that the uncle, a teacher at Kitui Water Institute (KEWI) at Syongila, arranged a meeting at the MCAs Matinyani home on Sunday 15th April around 9.00 am. the MCA asked promised directly to ‘hand over’ the tender to him at an appreciation token of Ksh. 40,000; insisting on cash transactions.
“The following day, at around 2.00 pm, mheshimiwa called me and we met around the Kitui Bus Stage,” confided the nervous youth. “When I got into his car, he asked me for his ‘package’ but I got suspicious because he had no documents to seal the deal. I told him to give me more time and consulted with my uncle after.”
Mr. Ngala assured Tony that there was nothing to fear, and he claimed he went ahead and borrowed the amount from a relative.
On Tuesday 17th april, between 1.00pm and 2.00 pm, Tony claimed that he met Hon. Kitheka at the Royal Makuti, a popular eatery opposite the GK Prison Kitui Town and handed him the cash; after much pestering from both his uncle and the mca. The legislator left almost immediately, claiming he was in a hurry to rush to some funeral; but not before telling Tony to meet him in town the next day at 11. am to pick the documents for the job.
The next day, the MCa’s phone was switched off till around 3.30 pm, according to Tony’s statements. He spend the whole day in a limbo, and when he finally got through to Hon. Yaamu, he curtly told him that he was attending some burial and ignored him till the time he approached the press.
Tony send both his uncle, Mr Ngala, and MCA Kitheka messages; making it clear that he was out of the deal and he wanted his cash back by Friday 10.00 am. None bothered to reply or call back. That was when he approached Kitui Newspaper with an intention of publishing a paid notice to the two with the same message.
But on Friday evening, Tony called for a meeting, where he cancelled his reserved notice, claiming the MCA had ‘started co-operating’. He claimed that around 6.00 pm, Hon Kitheka had taken him to the Kitui General Offices where they supposedly met a procurement officer by the name Mr. Munyaka. He claimed that Mr. Munyaka gave him tender documents to fill up, which he did, but since he had forgotten to carry his company stamps, they agreed the MCA arrange for a meeting the next day so that he can stamp the documents. From the Kitui General Hospital offices, Tony confired that they proceeded to the Ministry of Education where they allegedly met a lady who was introduced to him by Hon. Yaamu as the Chief Officer Ministry of Education.
When the kitui newspaper investigative team called the MCA for a commentary on the story, the legislator was apprehensive and kept steering off the point. He challenged the originator of such allegations to go to court and prove any such transaction took place. He however made an interesting disclosure: there was no pipeline extension tender in Matinyani Ward!
Days after, when Kitui Newspaper revealed that they would be running a full story on this scam, the businessman, Mr Tony Katana switched lanes again! He challenged the editorial team to run the story on their own; threatening never to testify to their favor, but instead claim that the MCA sold him a cow which he took to his ranch in Naivasha!
The Matinyani Ward MCA, Hon. Sylvester Munyalo Kitheka has been on the spot severally in the past for claims of swiddling money from unsuspecting members of the public.
Screenshots of the chats and call logs between Businessman Tony Katana, Mr Ngala and the Matinyani Ward MCA Hon. Sylvester Kitheka. Their corrupt deal backfired when Mr Tony freaked out and disclosed everything to the press
Kitui Newspaper investigative team will continue digging into the corruption malpractices in our county government, and more so by our elected leaders. We vow to bring you out the ill and the rot in our society without any fear of threats or appraisals whatsoever. Anybody with an expose feel free to reach us through our contacts provided in the website Contacts page.
