Nominated Senator, Millicent Omanga, has refuted allegations that she is under the radar of several investigative agencies over a Ksh200 million gun slings deal with the Kenya Prisons Service.
Omanga, in an interview with NTV on Wednesday, July 20, argued that she had not yet been summoned by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) nor the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over the alleged tender.
“That's political witch-hunt coming into shape in this election season, especially with me running for the Woman Representative seat in Nairobi.
"I have not been awarded any tender. My company, Milways Enterprises, was not involved in whatsoever way. I saw the news in the newspaper and I am waiting to be summoned by DCI, EACC,” Omanga stated.
She added that she was not on the run as alleged by a section of the media, adding that she is a public figure engaged in campaigns and thus can be tracked down any time.
“Why haven’t the investigative agencies summoned me? Is there a need for the media to tarnish my reputation? I have not received any money from the prisons and my accounts are open for investigations,” she added.
However, when asked whether she participated in the flawed tender process, Omanga played cagey arguing that she is a businesswoman in negotiation for several contracts.
She declined to be drawn into the debate on whether it was a conflict of interest for her to apply for tenders yet she is a public servant.
“I used to apply for tenders before I was a Senator and I have not sought any since I was nominated,” she stated.
Nonetheless, reports alleged that Omanga’s company won the tender in 2019, two years after Jubilee Party nominated her to serve in the Senate.
Her company, Milways Enterprise, was tasked with supplying gun slings to the Kenya Prisons Service.
Reports further indicated that EACC intervened and halted the tender process as the company was almost receiving its Ksh160 million deposit.
Omanga’s company had negotiated for an 80 per cent deposit and 20 per cent balance after supplying the products.
EACC raised questions on the tender, one of the Ksh4.8 billion projects Kenya Prisons Service had contracted private firms to deliver. The Commission warned that the tenders floated by Kenya Prisons were bloated to fleece the government.
The 40-year-old Omanga registered the company 13 years ago when she was a 27-year-old businesswoman.
In a past interview, she stated that Deputy President William Ruto handpicked her from selling bed sheets and championed her nomination to the Senate.
"When my appointment came, I had bought 30 bed sheets for sale. I was at Kings Collections shop trying to bargain with the Indian seller so that I could make some profit when I was called by former Energy Cabinet Secretary, Davis Chirchir, a close ally of DP Ruto,” she recalled at the time.
