Jubilee Vice-Chairman David, Murathe admitted that he played a role in helping a firm secure Ksh4 billion tender in the multi-billion Kenya Medical Supplies Agency (KEMSA) scandal.
Murathe - in a sworn affidavit written to the MPs investigating the case - said that he was a signatory to Kilig Limited's bank accounts. Kilig, which was alleged to have been formed two months prior to the tender process, sub-contracted another firm called Entec Technology Limited to supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).
"Kilig Ltd and Entec only requested me to be a signatory to Kilig Limited bank accounts to guarantee that Entec as the supplier of PPE kits would be paid upon KEMSA affecting the anticipated payment on completion of the procurement process and I obliged.
"I am aware that the commitment letter by KEMSA to Kilig was cancelled citing limited budget for Covid-19 which had been exhausted thereby resulting in no delivery, invoicing nor payment for me to guarantee because there was no initiation of a procurement process after the cancellation of the procurement letter," Murathe defended himself, adding that he was neither a shareholder nor a director at the firm.
One of the directors at Entec Technology - Chen Chao, a Chinese national - had blown off the lid and revealed Murathe and Willborad Gatei's ties to the company. Gatei was accused of being a co-director at Kilig Limited.
The foreigner said that he approached Murathe to be a signatory owing to his status as a respectable, high-standing member of the society.
Murathe, a close ally of President Uhuru Kenyatta, failed to appear before the MPs who accused him of influencing the tender process.
"It seems he was brought to influence the process. His role was to make sure that this thing was paid. We need him here in person because Kenyans want to see this big fish who can influence payments of this magnitude," Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang claimed.
In September 2020, Murathe distanced himself from the scandal and alleged that those involved in the scam were associates of Deputy President William Ruto. He claimed that some directors at the private firms transferred their shareholding to Ruto's acquaintances.
The DP, however, denied the allegations and accused the Jubilee Vice-Chairman of attempting to shift attention and mislead investigators.
"The perpetrators of this heist are lucky they are not branded as 'Ruto allies', otherwise they would have taken political responsibility, stepped aside, written statements, companies investigated, individuals arrested and hauled to court," Ruto responded claiming that the investigative agencies were biased and would have acted swiftly if indeed those involved were his confidants.
The President directed the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP) to investigate the matter and present him with a conclusive report.
