According to documents obtained by The Informer Media Group, Leonard Njeru Muriuki is a little-known businessman turned politician. He is the purportedly preferred candidate for the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
Muriuki is the most likely candidate to receive a direct party nomination in the upcoming Mbeere North parliamentary by-elections. However, he has been exposed as the person responsible for the scandalous and currently stalled Sh433 million oxygen plant at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
Additionally, Muriuki uses the well-known village name “Leonard Leo Wa Muthende” on social media.
In May 2022, the Ministry of Health controversially awarded the contract for the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of a medical oxygen plant at KNH. The goal was to produce 8,000 litres per minute (LPM). This contract was awarded to Muriuki’s company, Biomax Africa Limited.
Muriuki’s company won the Sh443.6 million contract despite having little experience with large-scale medical infrastructure.
Investigators now think that the Ministry of Health’s tender evaluation committee did not carry out even the most fundamental due diligence. Then-Principal Secretary Susan Mochache oversaw the committee. Furthermore, the documents that landed Biomax Africa the deal were thought to be fabricated.
A Kenya Health Ministry/KNH team, headed by Rose Njoroge, conducted a pre-shipment inspection of Novair’s equipment in Paris in May 2023. According to their report, the tender specifications were fully followed.
However, there was a significant underperformance observed at installation. The plant only managed 2,800 LPM, which was a significant departure from expectations.
KNH paid more than Sh100 million for a transformer and generator. These should have been covered by the contractor under the original terms. These payments were due to what have been called contractor failures.
Additionally, the inefficiency of the plant increased KNH’s yearly electricity bill by Sh500 million, more than doubling previous charges. This resulted in needless and preventable large operational expenses. The taxpayer would have to pay for these had the contractor strictly adhered to the terms of the contract.
Then-Embu gubernatorial candidate Muriuki participated in the Jubilee Party primaries but lost before the 2017 General Elections.
He was one of several contenders to overthrow former Governor Martin Wambora. However, Wambora was able to successfully defend his seat in the 2027 elections.
Muriuki is currently regarded as a leading candidate in the upcoming Mbeere North constituency mini-polls scheduled for November. This is despite a looming cloud of graft allegations surrounding him. These allegations involve a controversial KSh433 million oxygen plant tender given by KNH to a company connected to him, Biomax Africa Ltd.
According to reliable information obtained by The Informer Media Group, President William Ruto’s ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party is thinking of giving Muriuki a direct ticket.
An official from the UDA party disclosed that Muriuki was being hailed as a frontrunner.
Even though the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, is rallying support against Ruto’s party in the unrest-plagued Mount Kenya region, the UDA party has at least twelve candidates.
Ruto’s declining regional popularity and Gachagua’s ostensibly expanding political base will be put to the test in the Mbeere North seat. The seat became vacant after former MP Geoffrey Ruku was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, succeeding his predecessor, Justin Muturi, who was fired.
“It’s a do-or-die situation for the Mbeere North seat. President Ruto is running against his estranged former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, who was impeached. An upper-level UDA official hinted.
Regional forces like Muturi, who are affiliated with Gachagua, and Cecily Mbarire, the governor of Embu and the national chairperson of the UDA, are also drawn to the high-stakes by-election.
The committee allegedly “failed in carrying out its duty of care by not conducting due diligence on the bid documents before awarding the tender to Biomax Africa Limited,” according to a report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Additionally, during a Board of Management meeting on December 29, 2024, Evanson Kamuri, the Chief Executive Officer of KNH, refused to sign a report. This report pointed out various irregularities in a Sh443.6 million tender given to Biomax Africa Ltd two years prior. This information is according to documents obtained by The Informer Media Group.
Rather, Kamuri, named KNH CEO in 2019, informed the board that it lacked the authority to look into procurement contracts. He questioned why Patrick Chepkonga, the hospital’s biomedical engineer, was involved in the document’s drafting.
The entire circus, according to documents, started in 2022 within the forbidding walls of the Ministry of Health’s headquarters, Afya House.
Investigators claim that a significant decision was made here, under the technical direction of PS Mochache at the time. They decided that the Ministry, not KNH, would purchase a new oxygen generation plant for the hospital.
Insiders assert that the move was both unusual and unnecessary. However, the reasoning behind the procurement’s origin at Afya House was never disclosed to the public.
KNH is a semi-autonomous parastatal that has previously overseen projects of a similar nature and has its own procurement capability.
Furthermore, according to the report, Mochache and her group “failed to ensure that the procurement process conformed to the law before awarding the contract.”
In the meantime, a fully operational oxygen plant was expected to be delivered by Biomax Africa in collaboration with the French manufacturer Novair Group.
Rather, the hospital continues to purchase oxygen from private suppliers two years later. This would have been unnecessary if the plant had performed as promised.
According to KNH records, the company spent over Sh168 million on liquid oxygen between July 2023 and February 2024. This money could have been saved had the plant been delivered.
