Activist sues KPA boss over alleged graft, procurement irregularities
Justice Jairus Ngaah, who is handling the matter, directed the petitioner to serve the case documents to individuals he had named in the application but had not officially included.
A civil rights activist has taken legal action against Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director William Ruto, accusing him of presiding over procurement irregularities and breaching the Constitution in his management of the State corporation.
Francis Awino, who heads Bunge la Mwananchi, filed the case at the High Court in Mombasa, alleging that Ruto’s tenure has been marked by corruption, questionable procurement deals, and misuse of office.
The petition, lodged on July 3, seeks a court declaration that Ruto has violated Chapter Six of the Constitution and is therefore unfit to continue holding public office.
Awino points to what he terms as evidence from a whistleblower and an exposé that allegedly implicated the KPA chief in altering procurement documentation and failing to maintain transparency.
The activist argues that such actions have severely undermined accountability within the institution.
He further claims that in 2024, the KPA awarded a Sh31.2 billion contract to Japan-based Toa Corporation to execute part of the Mombasa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) development project.
The deal was reportedly financed through Japan’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan scheme under the Special Terms for Economic Partnership (Step) framework.
According to the petitioner, both media reports and civic group investigations suggest the award process was marred by collusion, secrecy, abuse of power, and the sidelining of local professionals.
Awino has listed several government oversight bodies as interested parties in the case, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Auditor-General, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), and the National Treasury.
However, Ruto, through his lawyer Augustus Wafula, has dismissed the petition, stating that it fails to meet the threshold for interim court orders and is based on speculation and unverified information.
“The application does not meet the threshold for granting interlocutory reliefs as it is based on speculation or inadmissible hearsay,” Wafula told the court.
Justice Jairus Ngaah, who is handling the matter, directed the petitioner to serve the case documents to individuals he had named in the application but had not officially included. The case will be mentioned on October 6 for further directions.
