The problem with Asha Abdi at City Hall

Asha Abdi, the Chief Finance Officer of Nairobi City County, has been embroiled in several corruption scandals. Here are some key points about her alleged involvement ¹ ² ³:

• Questionable Payments: Asha Abdi is accused of overseeing irregular transactions, including payments to ghost suppliers. One notable case involves Emari Ventures, which received over Ksh 230 million in payments from the county government for questionable projects.

• Unauthorized Commitments: A letter from Bramuel Simiyu, Chief Officer Disaster Management and Coordination, alleges that Asha Abdi made unauthorized commitments and transactions on the IFMIS platform, affecting the sector’s budget. Specifically, Ksh 15,658,500 was invoiced from the Fire Fighting and Rescue Development Expenditure without Simiyu’s knowledge or approval.

• Bribery Allegations: There’s evidence suggesting Asha Abdi bribed a senior editor at a leading daily newspaper with a brand new car and millions of shillings to avoid publishing corruption-related stories involving the Nairobi city county finance department.

• Favoritism Accusations: Asha Abdi has been criticized for favoring people from her community, particularly those who received multimillion-tender deals during the last regime. Some suppliers from the Mount Kenya region reportedly sought audience with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagwa to get paid after Asha turned them down.

• Investigation and Probe: The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) are investigating Asha Abdi’s alleged corruption schemes. She might take a plea soon over the ongoing probe at City Hall.

These allegations have raised concerns about corruption and mismanagement within the Nairobi City County government.