The government dismissed widely publicized claims that it awarded deported Turkish businessman Harun Aydin a tender to construct part of the Affordable Housing units. The government stated that no such contract had been given to the foreigner.
Addressing journalists during a Wednesday press conference on ministerial developments and initiatives, Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome affirmed that the government did not grant a tender to Harun Aydin.
She revealed that although the businessman had submitted a bid for consideration, the government declined to grant it.
''Because our tendering procurement process is public and guided by the law, we are of course expected to do due diligence. The case you have referred to I do not know where you have got it from, I am going to find out,'' Wahome stated.
According to the CS, the government could not act blindly and award the foreigner the tender despite the status quo, insisting that they do due diligence before handing over the lucrative contracts.
''We do fact-finding and due diligence so that we also do not get people doing money laundering around. We have very tight regulations on financial reporting,'' the CS added.
Aydin was arrested in Nairobi in August 2021 and deported to Turkey under the tenure of the then Interior CS Fred Matiang'i.
This followed allegations of being involved in clandestine activities that included money laundering.
Reports on Monday claimed that the Turkish had been awarded a lucrative tender to construct at least 100,000 housing units under President William Ruto's flagship project.
The issue had sparked controversy over the project, which deducts 1.5 per cent from employees' salaries and an additional 1.5 per cent from employers, following a High Court ruling last year that upheld the initiative.
So far, the government has constructed 140,000 affordable housing units, with a target of 200,000 units annually and 1 million over the next five years.
Additionally, plans are underway to release 5,000 affordable housing units to the public by April 2025, according to Lands CS Wahome.
The government is finalizing preparations for the handover and commissioning of these houses to provide decent and affordable housing, particularly for low-income earners.
