Chickens have come home to roost for Kanu strongman

In what could signal a dip in the fortunes of one of the most powerful Kenyans during the Moi era, multi-billion shilling properties belonging to former influence-peddler Hosea Kiplagat are set to be auctioned at the end of this month over unserviced debts.

A notice appearing in yesterday’s dailies indicated that the properties comprising industrial, commercial and residential buildings would be auctioned on August 25 and 28.

“Under instructions from the chargee’s advocate, we shall sell by public auction the parcel of land registered in the name of Hosea Mundui Kiplagat.

The property is situated in along Quarry Lane approximately 1.2kms off Bogani Road in Karen Area,” read the auction notice.

It was not immediately clear the nature and amount of debts the former Kanu supremo owed lenders, with the auctioneers only inviting interested bidders to bid for the properties.

Among those listed for auction include a prime residential property sitting on 4.9 acres of land in the upmarket Karen suburbs in Nairobi.

Auction notice

According to the notice put up by auctioneering firm Garam, the property, which borders River Mbagathi “is developed with a three bedroom master ensuite main house complex; son’s two bedroomed guest house, a three bedroomed self-contained servants quarter, garage and a car wash.

Also on the property include a double storey business room and guest entertainment block, a swimming pool with fountain and baby pool, sauna and steam bath complex with Jacuzzi”.

That is not all, the property also has an office block complex, squash complex, farm developments including three greenhouses and two beehives.

To be cleared to bid for the Karen properties, one has to produce a bidding deposit of Sh5 million by cash or bankers’ cheque.

Come Friday, August 28, the auctioneers will also descend on Kiplagat’s multi-billion shilling property in Kenmosa area in Eldoret town registered in the name of Timber Treatment International Limited.

These particular properties are industrial cum residential with the first block comprising twenty residential buildings sitting on 10.83 acres.

Then there is an office block, timber treatment plant and residential buildings sitting on another 6.29 acres.

The third block comprises an office complex, a weighbridge and three godowns sitting on 1.16 acres.

Also targeted by the auctioneers are six vacant plots sitting on 0.5 acres each, a godown and ablution block, a timber treatment plant sitting on 0.45 acres and a residential building sitting on eleven acres.

For this property, interested bidders will be required to provide a bidding deposit of deposit Sh10 million.

The move to auction Kiplagat’s estate signifies a new low for a man who wielded immense power and influence in the Moi era and was a permanent fixture in the former President’s public functions.

A former prison warder, who warmed his way into the retired President’s innermost sanctums of power, Kiplagat rose to become the Executive Director of the Baringo Kanu branch in Moi’s home district.

Unknown to many, Kiplagat, who preferred introducing himself as an “entrepreneur and philanthropist” is the son of the late Isaac Salgong and the late Zipporah Salgong, a maternal cousin to Moi.

From the prisons, thanks to the Moi family links, Kiplagat ventured into business where he was handed the sobriquet ‘Hong Kong’ as his identity code before joining politics where he now simply went by the intials ‘HK.’

As the executive director of the Baringo Kanu branch, Kiplagat essentially held brief for Moi and literally dictated politics not only in the district but the larger Rift Valley.

No Sunday would pass without Kiplagat featuring in the day’s news bulletin, accompanying the late president to the   service at the Moi High School Kabarak.

Besides being the Baringo Kanu boss, Kiplagat was also appointed to the powerful position of executive chairman of the Co-operative Bank, a position he only relinquished when Moi retired in 2002.

With this proximity to power, naturally came wealth, which saw him set up one of the biggest timber treatment plants in Kenya, based in Eldoret but with branches across the Rift Valley.

Chosen successor

Upon President Moi’s retirement in 2002, Kiplagat supported Moi’s chosen successor, Gideon who won the Baringo Central parliamentary seat unopposed.

Come 2007 and Kiplagat threw his hat in the race and finished a distant third behind former Lands Commissioner Sammy Mwaita, the eventual winner and Gideon.

In the March 2013 General Election, Kiplagat again lost to Mwaita, ending his short spell in politics.

Kiplagat is among those who were adversely mentioned in the Ndung’u land report for their role in the excision of thousands of acres of public land that were dished out to the politically correct.

The report, whose recommendations were never implemented, named Kiplagat as being among those who were allocated parts of the Ngong’ forest and Karura forest in the nineties.

The report recommended that the title deeds issued to Kiplagat and other Kanu mandarins be revoked and the land reverted to the public. 

Kiplagat was also listed as a beneficiary of public land in settlement schemes in Nakuru county including the Nakuru/Olenguruone/Kiptagich extension alongside former Comptroller of State House John Lokorio.

Also in the same scheme is Samson Cheramboss, who once headed President Moi’s security detail, former nominated MP Mark Too, former Moi aide Joshua Kulei and former head of Presidential Press Service Lee Njiru.

Two years ago, Kiplagat was embroiled in a court dispute with one of his neighbours in Karen over the construction of a borehole.

This is after the neighbour sunk a borehole barely 50m from Kiplagat’s borehole, causing the water to turn murky, forcing the Kanu era powerbroker to turn to the courts for redress, obtaining an order stopping the development.

 But even after obtaining the orders, no police officer would enforce the court orders stopping the construction despite the fact that the site was a stone throw away from the Hardy Police station, demonstrating how hard the once powerful Kiplagat had fallen.

It is not only Kiplagat who has seen his fortunes take a nosedive after Kanu lost power.

Two years ago, former Youth for Kanu 92 chairman Cyrus Jirongo had his 103-acre farm auctioned to recover loans owed to the collapsed Dubai Bank.

The politician-cum businessman, through his three companies, owed Dubai Bank Sh495 million at the time of its collapse.

Valley Auctioneers, the company contracted to sell the land, sold the 41.56 hectares property registered to Kuza & Allied Ltd to Ninja Transporters, who emerged as the highest bidders.

The farm in Chepkoilel, Uasin Gishu County, had been put on auction for Sh70 million in July 2017 but failed to get a buyer due to the uncertainty posed by the last elections.

Several other Kanu orphans including long serving private secretary to the late Moi, Joshua Kulei and the estates of powerful cabinet minister Nicholas Biwott are battling various cases in court.