Updated on: 27/July/2021
Neo Kenya Mpya buses are a common sight on the Thika Super Highway and are now taking over the Kangundo route. The buses have had a sizeable share of bad publicity; but which public service vehicle plying the Nairobi route has a clean record? The businessman who has a majority stake in Neo Kenya Mpya buses is Mr Patrick Njiru Kuria, a businessman of no mean repute.
Neo Kenya Mpya Commuters Limited shareholders
Mr Patrick Njiru Kuria-500 shares
Leah Njeri Njiru-(wife)-300-shares
Douglas Kuria Njiru-(son)-100 shares
Everlyne Wangui Njiru (daughter)-100 shares
Businesses associated with Patrick Njiru Kuria
The little-known Patrick Njiru-not to be confused with legendary rally driver with the same name-is related to Kirinyaga women representative, Purity Ngirici. He is a tenderprenuer whose name was mentioned over the sale of contraband sugar. The sugar, which was reportedly contaminated, was found at his warehouse on his godown on Eastern ByPass.
Paleah Stores Ltd
A company associated with Mr Njiru, Paleah Stores, was prominetly mentioned in corner corner dealings that brought Mumias Sugar on its knees when former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero was at the helm. An audit by KMPG gave a sorry state of affairs at Mumias that saw the miller lose billions of shillings to unscrupulous individual between 2014-2014.
A news item on the standard titled “How 1,497 trucks of Mumias sugar disappeared in transit” reads in part:
A product not delivered by a transporter to a customer or warehouse is treated as a short landing, according to the sales and distribution standards the miller subscribes to.
Each transporter is expected to deliver goods destined for Nairobi within five days, while those for Mombasa must be delivered by the end of the seventh day. If they fail to meet these deadlines, the transporters are supposed to be surcharged.
However, these procedures were flouted a number of times to cover up the distribution scam.
KPMG also found that 1,497 inter-warehouse transfers between Mumias and Nairobi were not delivered within five days. These related to 46 transporters.
A transport supervisor in Nairobi told KPMG that she was aware of the scam. Transporters would not deliver goods meant for the warehouses, yet they would present delivery notes for stamping.
The supervisor said the practice was most common with distributors who were also transporters. Some of those alleged to have had the highest number of diversions include Rising Star, For You Carriers, Mega Transporters, Paleah Stores and Maarufu Stores.
The Kenya Mpya bus owner son, Robin Kiambuthi, was among eight people who perished in the street racing accident that occurred at Oldonyosambu area on the Arusha-Namanga highway.
Our most sincere condolences to the family. May Robin soul rest in eternal peace. Next
