Kenyans were shocked when one Managing director decided to quit in what he cited as due to personal reasons. But sources reveal otherwise. Kenyans don’t exit until death do them apart.
The exit of Mr Sang at KPC marks the end of an era of what sources point to a frosty relationship with Mr Ngumi and the board.
Mr Sang’s appointment as CEO on April 13, 2016, by Energy Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter after a contest with 64 applicants who had applied for the position was shrouded in controversy after a consumer lobby group, Cofek, alleged that the new CEO lacked “administrative capacity and competence to handle such a huge parastatal.”
It was Mr John Ngumi, the board chairman, who defended CS Keter’s choice — only to find himself in a quandary as scandals, both new and historical, started to rock the corporation.
Joe Sangs’ decision decided to leave Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) as Managing Director for what board chairman John Ngumi called “personal reasons” but what sources say it was a straight sacking over the intrigues around the oil spill sources say never happened.
“The board received and accepted Mr Joe Sang’s letter stating that due to personal reasons he will not be seeking a second term as managing director”, Said Mr Ngumi in a press release early Tuesday.
“The board will immediately embark on the process of recruiting KPC managing director’, he added.
Details of @kenyapipeline Kisumu jetty scam investigations by @ODPP_KE and @DCI_Kenya #CofekCares #ConsumerAction #2018InReview pic.twitter.com/HoOvoyz3EZ
— Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) (@CofekRebranded) December 7, 2018
He also announced that the Oil Marketing Companies will, through their joint company SupplyCorKenya Ltd, conduct a forensic audit of stock positions to be completed by December 31.
Mr Ngumi said that the directorate of criminal investigations, which has pitched camp at KPC for the past one year, will be “invited to carry out (undisclosed) investigations” signalling possibility that Mr Sang was forced out and that he could be the focus of the planned probe.
“Daily Nation” last week reported that “Kenyans have unwittingly been paying billions of shillings to cover up for theft of fuel at Kenya Pipeline Company in a scam that could have run for years. The Nation is today revealing that the stolen fuel is accounted for as spillage and that, when insurers refuse to pay for it, the bill is passed on to the consumers via the Energy Regulatory Commission.
“As a result, Kenyans have been financing a shadowy syndicate at KPC, until last month, when oil companies said “enough is enough” and refused to have the cost of 11 million missing litres footed by consumers. KPC had told the oil marketing companies that more than 7.2 million litres were lost through spillage and another 4.4 million litres stolen at Koru, near Kisumu.
“At best, this is a riveting fairy tale; at worst, an audacious lie”, ‘Daily Nation’ concluded.
“Mr Sang was a scapegoat. He was was a pawn in a high voltage fierce and behind the scenes battle to control the KPC deep pockets between the two top offices in the land. Why would Ngumi purport to invite DCI when he is already under DCI investigations? Should Mr Sang spill the beans, all the top honchos at KPC and the Ministry will be in hot soup”, a source familiar of the goings-on at the KPC told Cofek on strict anonymity for security reasons.