Kalonzo revives Sh180 million laptop tender scandal at funeral of Makindu Motors founder

Kalonzo mourns Makindu Motors founder Ngei and wife after fatal road crash

Wiper Patriotic Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka has thrust a long-running procurement scandal back into the national spotlight after using the funeral of businessman Stephen Ngei Musyoka to demand justice over a controversial government laptop tender that has remained unresolved in court for years.

Ngei, the founder of Makindu Motors Limited, died alongside his wife, Giannaphina Mumbua Ngei, in a road crash on Saturday, June 20, 2026, after the pickup truck he was driving collided head-on with a trailer bearing South Sudan registration plates near Masimba in Makueni County. An employee travelling with the couple sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital. The two were pronounced dead at the scene and their bodies taken to Montezuma Monalisa Funeral Home in Machakos County.

Speaking during the burial in Makueni County, Kalonzo described Ngei as the embodiment of Kenya’s entrepreneurial spirit, recalling his rise from selling second-hand clothes to building Makindu Motors into one of the country’s leading automobile assembly firms.

“He represented the resilience and determination of a self-made Kenyan who created employment and inspired generations of young entrepreneurs,” Kalonzo said.

The funeral, however, became more than a celebration of Ngei’s business achievements.

His son, Stephen Musyoka Ngei, made an emotional appeal to Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, saying: “Mr MP Mwengi, talk to your friend the President. The Sh180 million that is owed to my father should be brought back. It caused us a lot of stress.”

The remarks revived public attention to the controversial fake laptop tender that has been before the courts since 2018.

Ngei was the principal complainant in the case after claiming he supplied laptops worth Sh180 million to individuals who allegedly posed as senior government officials and convinced him they were acting on behalf of the Office of the Deputy President and the Ministry of Devolution.

According to court records, Ngei and his associates believed they had secured a legitimate government contract to supply 2,800 HP laptops. Investigators say the fraudsters orchestrated an elaborate scheme involving emails purporting to originate from the Office of the Deputy President, meetings held at Harambee House Annex and hotels in Nairobi’s Karen area, and official-looking documents intended to convince suppliers that the tender was genuine.

Witnesses also testified that some collections were made using vehicles displaying Parliament and Deputy President stickers, reinforcing the appearance of official government involvement. Court documents further indicate that a Sh500,000 brokerage fee was allegedly paid before the laptops were delivered in batches.

Following unsuccessful attempts to secure payment, Ngei moved to court seeking justice.

The criminal case names Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang alongside Augustine Matata, Teddy Owiti, Kevin Nyongesa, James Makokha, Johan Osore and Joy Kamau as accused persons. Prosecutors have since valued the allegedly stolen laptops at Sh269.36 million, significantly higher than the Sh180 million figure that initially dominated public discussion.

The matter remains pending before the courts.

Kalonzo’s decision to highlight Ngei’s pursuit of justice has once again drawn attention to a case that has lingered in the judicial system for years without conclusion.

With Ngei now dead before the trial is concluded, questions are once again being raised about the pace of justice and the ability of victims of high-profile fraud cases to obtain redress.

Kibwezi West MP Mwengi Mutuse, who said Ngei was a relative by marriage, described him as a self-made businessman whose success inspired many across Ukambani.

Parliamentary Service Commission member Johnson Muthama remembered him as hardworking, humble and dedicated, while former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko also paid tribute, describing him as a respected entrepreneur.

Although the funeral celebrated the life of one of Ukambani’s most successful businessmen, it also revived uncomfortable questions surrounding one of Kenya’s most prominent procurement fraud cases—one whose principal complainant did not live to see its conclusion.