Samuel Ole Tunai, Governor Narok County
Governor Samuel Ole Tunai is a very rich man yet that doesn’t stop him from dipping his hands on the cookie jar.
In fact the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s (EACC) corruption index has spared the county more than once. Though it is among the top 10 in corruption, Narok county can easily play in the big leagues of corruption and dislodge the North Eastern counties and Nairobi.
It is public knowledge, though not popular that the man owns large tracts of land in the Maasai Mara park ecosystem. His land is full of animals too, just like the neighboring national park.
However, what is so curious about the whole thing is that instead of getting satisfied with what he owns, the man has taken to run the whole thing like his family business, where he pockets huge amounts of money and uses it like his personal bank account.
It should not be lost on Kenyans that the world’s famous park is within Narok County is also one of the richest.
A source in Narok informs us that the Mara revenue doesn’t show on the ground.
For a park that charges Ksh10,000 per night as entry fee. Just imagine the number of tourists that come over to the park each month, each year.
“It is a eating frenzy here. In a period of let’s say 3 months, one can walk away Ksh40 Million rich. One doesn’t need to be a highly placed worker. Just in the right position”, our source said.
A person cnyakundi.com spoke to said that most of these workers leave after three months having made millions then invest the money in buildings in and around Narok Town.
The money has even found its way to Nairobi where the former staff of Maasai Mara buy rental flats, invest in hotels and other businesses.
‘The money that is mostly stolen by (Governor) Tunai is spent on building, hotels here in Kenya and South Africa. Some of it is also used to purchase livestock, mostly cows”, the source added.
There are also numerous proxy forms that the governor and his men use to hide the loot.
Governor Tunai has been a DP Ruto person since 2013 up to 2017. But that changed after 2017. Wherever he takes the money to these days might be higher.
“The best lodging in mara is his. Oh, I almost forgot, he also invests in hotels in Tanzania”, the source concludes.
Past Samuel Tunai’s deeds
In 2013, it was revealed that the Narok Governor Samuel Tunai owned a 2,359.6 acres of land most of which borders the famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve.
Tunai who is rich has also stolen massively from the county. The governor who is on his second term is said to be planning to run as a Member of National Assembly for Kilgoris. A move which a section of residents has vowed to block vehemently due to his underdevelopment and corruption records.
In Tunai’s 2.359.6 acres of land, a small settlement had formed but was burned down in 2003 in the deep of the night. 300 families were left homeless.
In 2015, Governor Tunai refused to declare the total amount it collects from the Masai Mara Game Reserve before the Senate.
At that time, Tunai has given the revenue collection contract irregularly to KAPS — an electronic ticketing firm that offers car parking payment solutions, access control and revenue management systems.
This scandal was never successfully prosecuted.
However, though the Governor said that he doesn’t know how much is collected, the firm KAPS have a figure of Ksh1.097 billion in a period of 11 months.
In 2017, ODM Party leader Raila Odinga accused Governor Tunai and DP Ruto of looting Ksh3 billion illegally from the Maasai Mara though a shadowy firm.
Governor Tunai denied the above claims.
