Anyone who has been to Kangemi along Nairobi’s Waiyaki Way lately, would not have missed seeing the towering beauty of the Rangechem Tower building. At a glance, you will notice its majestic presence in the area, dwarfing nearly every other building. But there’s another story to the building which was constructed within five months at the pick of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Unlike many average buildings, this one is linked to all manner of stories, one of them being that it was put up from proceeds of the now infamous “Covid billions.” Yes, you read that right. The building is said to belong to one Richard Ngatia, President of the Kenya National Chamber Of Commerce & Industry (KNCCI).
Mr Richard Ngatia is also the owner of several companies and businesses. But he has never kept himself far from controversy, the major one being his involvement in the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) scandal.
He would later distance himself from receiving any proceeds from KEMSA but one of his companies, Megascope Healthcare Ltd was widely mentioned in a report by Transparency International. In its report, the corruption watchdog stated that Megascope was awarded nine contracts worth over KSh. 1 billion by the KEMSA.
This is a report that Mr Ngatia has vehemently refuted as he distanced himself from any corruption proceeds. In 2020 he sued Dennis Okari after the journalist’s Covid-19 Millionaires Exposé. Speaking on this matter back then, Mr Ngatia criticized Mr Okari for relying on statements from the National Action Against Corruption Director Gordwins Agutu. He went ahead to call Agutu, untrustworthy.
Mr Agutu held firm, arguing that his statement was true and went ahead to say that he had supplied the documents of proof of his claims to NTV. Ngatia owns other businesses including hotels and entertainment joints including the high-end Galileo Lounge in Westlands. But the one that has attracted more controversy is Megascope Healthcare Ltd.
On its website, the company states that it has been supplying and distributing medical equipment to hospitals across the country for over two decades now. It lists equipment used in radiology, central sterilization unit, ophthalmology, dentistry, laboratory, physiotherapy, and electrotherapy as its key supplies.
While Ngatia continues to distance himself from the KEMSA scandal among other dealings, the manner in which the multimillion construction of Rangechem Tower was executed, whispers of his involvement in that mega-scandal have found their way back into the airwaves.
