Davis Chirchir: Most of my wealth comes from investment in family tea business

Energy Cabinet Secretary (CS) nominee Davis Chirchir has defended his Ksh498.2 million net worth saying most of his income comes from family tea businesses and rental houses in Nairobi.

Speaking during his vetting in Parliament on Tuesday, October 18, Chirchir said he also owns a house in Spring Valley, properties in Westlands, and a fleet of vehicles.

"My financial net worth is Ksh482 million tabulated as farms, a house in Spring Valley at Ksh95 million, rental property in Westlands, Matundu at Ksh50 million, vehicles, bank accounts, investment in a family tea value addition business at Ksh185 million," he said.

The CS, who served in the same docket during the tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta between 2013 and 2015, was named Chief of Staff in the office of Deputy President following the death of Ken Osinde in December 2021.

He holds a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) in International Management from the Royal Holloway School of Management, University of London.

He also holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and Physics from the University of Nairobi.

Chirchir, who is a longtime friend of President William Ruto, served at the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) for a period of three years from May 2009.

He was named the Secretary General of the United Republican Party (URP) in 2012, a party that teamed up with The National Party (TNA) to form the Jubilee Alliance that won the presidential election in 2013.

Chirchir sacked from Cabinet

The IT guru was rewarded with a Cabinet position which he served for only two years before he was sacked in November 2015 following the IIEC "Chicken Gate" scandal.

A court in the United Kingdom heard that between 2008 and 2010 senior managers and commissioners of IIEC were beneficiaries of kickbacks from Smith & Ouzman, a UK- based company specialising in printing security documents.

'Chicken' was a code name in the emails exchanged between the printer (Smith & Ouzman) and election officials.

The bribes (Chicken) amounted to about Ksh50 million.

This was done by inflating most of the printing contracts by up to 38 per cent.

Other persons named in the scandal included former IIEC Chief Executive Officer James Oswago, Uasin Gishu Woman Representative Gladys Boss Shollei who was the then IIEC deputy CEO, lawyer Kennedy Nyaundi, then a commissioner, Kenneth Karani, a senior procurement officer, and former KNEC Boss Paul Wasanga.