The owners of a company behind the sale of Telkom Kenya to the State failed to honor summons Wednesday raising suspicions it could be owned by faceless individuals.
The directors of Jamhuri Holdings Ltd, which is said to have received Sh6.09 billion in the now controversial sale were to appear before the MPs probing the matter.
The joint parliamentary on committee Communication and Information and Finance and National planning is co-chaired by Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie and his Molo counterpart Kuria Kimani.
It is seeking to unravel the truth behind the deal said to have happened a few days before the 2022 general election.
During the session, members were informed that the Company had instead sent a letter.
“We are in receipt of what is purported to be responses to the questions that we asked,” Kimani told the committee while expressing his dissatisfaction.
He insisted that it was imperative for the witness to appear in person.
Kiarie on his part poked holes in the letter saying failure by the witness to face the committee even casts doubt on the authenticity of the letter.
“As it is, we are unable to establish the authenticity of this letter, purported to be from the company,” he stated.
He continued, “We need to establish, as a committee, if we are dealing with actual or imaginary people involved in this expenditure of public money.”
Former Treasury cabinet secretary Ukur Yatani who is at the centre of the sale and his former PS Julius Muia were scheduled to appear before the Committee in the afternoon.
On Tuesday, former Telkom board chair Edward Njoroge, Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) CEO Ezra Chiloba and those from the Competition Authority of Kenya and Privatization Commission faced the committee.
ICT cabinet secretary Eliud Owalo, Accounting Services and Quality Assurance Director general Benard Ndungu, former Director General Public Investment Portfolio Management Stanley Kamau, and Treasury cabinet secretary Njuguna Ndungu have been lined up for Thursday.
Jamhuri Holdings is said to be registered in Mauritius and owned by Helios Investment Partners, a company registered in the Cayman Islands.
France’s Orange bought a majority share in Telkom when it was privatised in 2007 but then sold its stake to London-based Helios Investment in 2015.
Chiloba told the MPs when he appeared on Tuesday that it will not renew Telkom’s licence due to a huge debt amounting to Sh9.4 billion.
“What this means is that when Telkom comes under review for a new licence, which is due next year, most likely the authority will not grant that licence,” he said.
