Murathe Story: From near bankruptcy to ‘mtu wa mkono’ for Chinese
Former Jubilee interim vice-chair David Murathe is not your ordinary Kenyan. He is an experienced political operative and scion of a family that was one of the largest wines and spirits distributors in Kenya. Murathe made the headlines with his recent onslaught to stop Deputy President William Ruto from succeeding President Uhuru Kenyatta when his term ends in 2022. Of interest is that Murathe is not running for any elective post or his Jubilee position, which he has since relinquished. But behind the scenes, Murathe, the former Gatanga MP, is known as one of the smoothest of political go-betweens for Chinese contractors and the government. ‘Brokerage fees’ and ‘facilitation fees’ for some of the deals, for which Murathe is a high priest, are eye-watering. What is more, in the eye of Chinese government top brass, Murathe exceeds some Cabinet secretaries as an influence peddler and cog in turning levers of soft power in Uhuru’s Kitchen Cabinet. Never mind, Murathe filed for ...