According to inside sources that spoke to this writer, threats at the company are the order of the day, and this is what could have led to the exit of Mr Okello.
Our previous investigation unearthed a clique of cartels led by general manager, Nashon Osieko whose deliberations are cleverly and forcefully executed by factory manager Walter Odum, who can literally threaten and intimidate his juniors to toe his corrupt way.
The cartels have been using a company based in Nairobi, Springtech (K) Ltd, a private company registered in 2005 under certificate of registration number C.115840.
It has emerged that Odum, who once eyed the position of the general manager forced Okello to resign after he refused to give in to the cartel demands.
“The former general manager, Mr Nicholas Okello, who initiated the fight against motors repaired and rewound at the cost of a new one by the same company, was pushed to resign by the cartels led by factory manager Walter Odum who even made plans for his assault by goons,” says our source.
Okello sought to suspend the contract upon realising that the cost of a 250kW motor was approximately Ksh1.5 million but Springtech would rewind a used motor at Ksh1.8 million.
At one time, he stopped an LPO that was to be awarded to Springtech for rewinding of a burnt 250kW motor at a cost of Ksh1.8 million.
“Springtech has been very good at giving kickbacks to the factory manager and his team from the mechanical and electrical departments,” adds our source who sought anonymity.
Today, this miller still awards the motor rewinding contracts to the company that charges them heavily to take care of the factory manager and his team.
Read: The Daring Cartels Licking Muhoroni Sugar Dry Reign On
According to sources from the factory, the team of technicians who have always been used by Mr Odum and Mr Osieko to siphon money are reducing in numbers as some of them have sensed a forthcoming danger that might see them subjected to a lifestyle audit.
Ther remains one Mr Gideon Angura who has been strategically positioned to aid movement of mill rollers that are taken to Nairobi as samples just to be later on supplied to the factory as new spares.
“A lifestyle audit on these looters and their other conduits would reveal the millions they’ve spent for the last two years without any loans,” says an employee within Muhoroni Sugar.
In all this saga, Okello’s mistake was being appointed to a position that Odum was interested in, and the only way to flush him out was to make him fear for his life and resign since.
Okello made another mistake by sacking Zadlack Othira who was employed with suspicious papers as an engineering manager. Othira was brought to Muhoroni sugar through the influence of Odum who made every efforts to have Othira absorbed into the system.
Later on, Othira, currently a clerk at the Equator Bottlers Kisumu, was found to have awarded himself an LPO for the supply of electrical spares through a business name registered in his name.
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