Omtatah asks High Court to halt Sh28m housing payment over disputed contractor
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Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has petitioned the High Court to stop a Sh28-million payment by the State Department for Housing and Urban Development while ownership of the contractor Savola Investment Limited remains disputed.
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has moved to court over the disputed ownership and directorship of Savola Investment Limited, a company awarded a Sh113-million government markets contract in Uasin Gishu. He wants the High Court to stop a Sh28-million payment by the State Department for Housing and Urban Development while questions remain over changes to the firm's records and control of its accounts.
Savola was incorporated on February 21, 2017, with Abdinasir Abdille Gedi, Mustafa Maalim Ibrahim and Mohamed Abdi Aden listed as directors and shareholders holding 200, 100 and 700 shares respectively. The company won a 2024 tender for construction of Economic Stimulus Programme markets and supporting facilities in Uasin Gishu, with the attached contract valuing the work at Sh113 million including tax over six months.
The dispute emerged in May 2026 when a company search showed a different ownership structure: a May 26 CR12 listed Ibrahim with 300 shares and Abdullahi Hassan Gulleid as a director and shareholder with 700 shares. The petition alleges Gedi and Aden had been removed as directors and shareholders, and Ibrahim's holding raised from 100 to 300 shares, without any board resolution or supporting documents. The matter went to the Business Registration Service, which investigated and on June 22 directed that the register be restored to its position at incorporation, reaffirming that position on June 24 after considering Gulleid's response.
The petition alleges that Sh21.7 million in public project funds was paid into a Kenya Commercial Bank account after the disputed changes appeared, and says the alleged diversion is under investigation by the DCI Banking Fraud Investigations Unit. It says the complaint concerns alleged fraud, forgery, impersonation and unlawful diversion of public funds; those allegations have not been determined by a court.
Omtatah says the State Department is processing another Sh28 million despite the BRS decision and is using the disputed CR12. "The risk of loss is real and immediate, and once payment is made to the wrong party, recovery will be practically impossible," the petition states. Omtatah filed as a public-interest petitioner with no personal financial interest in the outcome. Justice Gregory Mutai directed him to furnish the respondents and interested parties with the court papers, followed by responses and written submissions.