14 November 2023

• MD Ruto said Njeri has never set foot at the port and they do not know her.

The Kenya Ports Authority has stated that it is unaware of Ann Njeri Njoroge, whose solicitors assert that she brought 100,000 metric tonnes of diesel into the nation for Sh17 billion.

Cliff Ombeta, Njeri's attorney, filed a habeas corpus case at the Mombasa High Court on Tuesday. Njeri reportedly vanished after making a statement at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations last Thursday over the diesel.

Njeri's assertion that she is the owner of the diesel is baseless, according to KPA Chairman Benjamin Tayari and Managing Director Captain William Ruto, who also stated that Njeri falsified documents in order to obtain the fuel from the government.

“The consignees of the respective portions of the bulk cargo are listed in the manifest submitted by the ship’s agent and KPA confirms that Ann’s Import and Export Enterprises Limited is not one of the manifested consignees,” Tayari said at the KPA boardroom where they had called a press conference.

Njeri said that she imported the diesel through Ann's Import and Export Enterprises Limited, a business she has been associated with for more than thirty years.

Galana Energies is the consignee while Aramco Trading Fujairah is the shipper of the shipment, according to KPA.

Galana Energies is one of three counterparties authorised to import oil into Kenya on behalf of the three International Oil Companies (IOCs), of which Aramco is one of only three designated by the government to supply oil to the nation.

Tayari stated that the cargo was loaded onto MT Haigui in Jeddah Islamic Port, Saudi Arabia on 9 October, and that she was named as the shipper and consignee of the cargo in the bill of lading that Njeri's attorneys presented.

“Unlike Bills of Lading, the document is signed by the stated shipper and not the Master of the Vessel. The cargo said to be manifested in the purported Bill of Lading is 100,00kg (84MT) only, which is approximately 0.09 per cent of the total product on board MT Haigui,” Tayari said.

MD Ruto said Njeri has never set foot at the port and they do not know her.

This is despite Njeri having reported the matter at the port police station under OB 21/04/11/2023.

“She has not been here. We have not seen her,” Ruto said.

According to the KPA, on September 26 and 28, the MT Haigui loaded 93,460 metric tonnes of gasoil at the Yanbui-Samref terminal in Saudi Arabia. On September 29, the ship arrived in Jeddah for cargo dopping and sampling.

She left on September 30 for Mombasa.

Under the agency of Sturrock Shipping (Kenya) Ltd., MT Haigui called the Mombasa port on October 11 and gave her notice of ready.

“The agent requested for the ship to be brought alongside and KPA piloted the vessel into the terminal where she berthed on November 4 at 0840hrs,” Tayari said.

49,091 metric tonnes of the 93,460 metric tonnes of diesel that were manifested, according to him, were designated for Kenya, sent via Aramco, and approved by the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.

The remaining 44,368 metric tonnes were goods intended for transportation to South Sudan, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

According to Tayari, MT Hagui started discharging on November 5 at 1:42 p.m.

“What you hear on both mainstream and social media are story za jaba,” he said.

Ruto said the reported waiting that the ship had to wait is true but that does not mean there was any monkey business.

“Ships come here, wait, and when their time for berthing comes they are always brought alongside.

“There is a plan normally done by Kenya Pipeline Company and the shipping agent and once that is confirmed is when we can bring the ship,” Ruto said.

Ombeta on Saturday said they obtained a court order stopping the ship from discharging any cargo or leaving the port but Tayari on Monday received no court order to that effect.

“All the documents concerning this ship are what we have here. We have not received any other document from anywhere else,” the chairman said.

He said the DCI would reveal the truth about all allegations made by all parties involved in the saga including Njeri.

Ruto said no one has lodged any complaint about their cargo missing or having been interfered with.

“About Ann, we don’t know her and have never met her. It is something we read on social media,” Ruto said.