President William Ruto's closed-door meeting with officials of a Belgian charity group, Bridgin Foundation, sparked widespread uproar over the entity's source of funds.
According to reports, the Belgian Foundation was questioned for promising various African leaders billions in terms of developmental projects.
In particular, President Ruto met with Bridgin's president Prof. Tanko Mouhamadou and Christopher Prieels, Programme Director, in March 2023, whereby the two parties discussed possible projects to be undertaken in the country.
The charity group came under sharp focus as not much was revealed about the Foundation's financiers.
Various reports hinted that some Jewish tycoons who sought to invest their dollars in the African market were the sponsors.
A spot-check by Kenyans.co.ke on Bridgin's website did not reveal much information about the company's source of funds or record of completed projects.
"For confidentiality and security reasons, this website is intentionally left without detailed content. Should you need further information, please contact us using the button below, " read part of the website's profile.
History
Bridgin has in the past targetted various African leaders from countries including Uganda, Malawi, Nigeria, and Liberia among others.
In November 2022, Bridgin entered into a Ksh891 billion contract with the Malawian government to develop the country's infrastructure.
This is three times more than Malawi's Ksh251 billion budget in the 2022/2023 financial year, according to the Malawi Revenue Authority.
While interacting with Uganda leadership in 2019, a section of Uganda officials, however, noted that Bridgin's offer sounded too good to be true.
Aside from Malawi, Bridgin also promised Ksh26 billion for Ecuador, and Ksh15 billion for Nepal for a research hospital and hydro-power facility respectively.
