By Our Investigative Reporter
Allegations of corruption and irregular recruitment have once again rocked the Kenya Railways Corporation after claims emerged that Managing Director Philip Mainga influenced the appointment of Benedict Kiema Kavua to a senior position through a flawed recruitment process.
According to reports published by Kenya Insights, Kiema, who previously served as Procurement Manager at the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company, was appointed General Manager for Procurement at Kenya Railways following interviews conducted in August 2024.
The recruitment exercise, which sought to fill several senior management positions including General Manager for Procurement, Finance, Legal Services, Corporate Services and Business & Commercial, has since attracted criticism from insiders who questioned the transparency and integrity of the process.
Sources cited in the reports alleged that some qualified internal candidates were sidelined despite having extensive experience within the corporation. The reports further claimed that some employees avoided applying for the positions altogether due to mistrust in the process.
The controversy intensified after allegations surfaced that Kiema was facing corruption-related investigations during his tenure at Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company and allegedly lacked the required practising licence at the time of shortlisting.
Additional reports claimed that investigative agencies, including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, had previously received complaints touching on Kiema’s conduct while at Nairobi Water.
The allegations have added to mounting scrutiny surrounding Mainga’s leadership at Kenya Railways, with activists and lobby groups accusing the corporation of procurement irregularities, abuse of office and financial mismanagement.
Earlier this year, the Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) threatened legal action seeking Mainga’s removal from office, arguing that his tenure had expired and citing multiple unresolved corruption allegations.
In separate reports, activists petitioned the High Court seeking investigations into Kenya Railways’ procurement processes and land transactions conducted during Mainga’s tenure.
Neither Mainga nor Kenya Railways had publicly responded to the latest allegations by the time of publication.
