Kurunzi Exclusive

EXCLUSIVE: What could be Kisii Governor’s KSh1 billion apartments in Kileleshwa

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Questions have emerged on the legitimacy of property owned by Kisii Governor James Ongwae, at least three blocks of apartments in Kileleshwa valued at more than KSh1 billion.

The final-term county boss has been under pressure to account for billions of money stolen from the county coffers, with several scandals dogging his administration.

The scandals touch on false procurement, irregular payments and fraudulent tenders, among other accountability questions.

Also exposed by Kurunzi and other media are scandals on bursaries and county ambulances, allegedly being managed by a nephew of the governor’s.

Ongwae has also faced questions on flouting of employment procedures, his critics arguing staffers are considered on nepotism grounds, with county secretary Patrick Lumumba the main beneficiary and architect of this irregularity.

Lumumba is the owner of Ufanisi Resort that once offered catering services to the county, selling mandazi at KSh1,500.

It has emerged that the governor has constructed at least three apartment blocks in Kileleshwa, sitting on a half-acre parcel of land. The value of land at the leafy estate is estimated to be at least KSh500 million.

https://youtu.be/YYMLncH49xE
The Crest Park Apartments have posted this marketing video on You-Tube. COURTESY/YOUTUBE

The bursary scandal is worth at least KSh405 million over three but could be more while false procurement, as revealed by Kurunzi, stands at more than KSh77 million paid to companies associated with the governor.

Falsified, double and variation payments involve projects such as the Daraja Mbili slaughter house, walkways and drainage as well as a road construction project in South Mugirango.

Other projects are networking and internet connection, among others.

Author

Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

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