NAIROBI, Kenya- A company incorporated just over two years ago has emerged as one of the firms awarded a tender to supply Kenya’s new police uniforms, with investigations by The Standard and Daily Nation raising questions about its ownership, registered address and links to an accountant associated with President William Ruto’s family.
The company, Nalitex Limited, was incorporated on May 3, 2024, according to Business Registration Service records cited by The Standard.
The newspaper reported on Saturday that Nalitex is among the companies awarded lots in the multi-billion-shilling police uniform procurement.
The new uniforms were unveiled by President Ruto on Friday during the passing-out parade of more than 6,000 police recruits at the National Police College in Kiganjo, Nyeri County.
General Duty officers are expected to begin wearing the new uniforms from Monday, August 31.
According to The Standard, the company’s listed Nairobi office could not be traced by its journalists.
The newspaper further reported that Nalitex’s postal address is shared with an established auditing firm and a property company associated with members of the Ruto family.
Link to Ruto family accountant
The scrutiny centres partly on Charles Tela Alusala, an accountant who has been associated with several businesses linked to the President’s family.
The Standard reported that information contained in company records links the contact details associated with Nalitex to Alusala.
The newspaper also traced the company’s address details to businesses connected to the Ruto family.
Business Daily has previously reported that Alusala is an accountant who handles the affairs of some of President Ruto’s family businesses.
It also reported, based on Business Registration Services records, that the Ruto family held a 15.83 per cent stake in Amaco Insurance through Yegen Farms Limited, with First Lady Rachel Ruto and her daughter Charlene listed as shareholders.
Alusala separately held a 10.83 per cent stake in the insurer.
However, the available company records cited in the latest reports list Selpha Chesimi Temoi as Nalitex’s sole director and shareholder.
The Daily Nation reported that Business Registration Service records show Temoi as the company’s sole shareholder, while the newspaper also reported that Nalitex was awarded one of several lots in the police uniform tender.
It said the National Police Service has not publicly disclosed the full details of the procurement.
Billions at stake
The exact value and structure of the uniform tender remain unclear because the National Police Service has not publicly released the complete award details.
The Daily Nation reported that sources estimate a police uniform set at about Sh25,000 and that approximately 60,000 General Duty officers are expected to receive the new attire.
On that basis, supplying two sets per officer could cost taxpayers about Sh3 billion, excluding footwear.
The Standard separately reported the overall deal at approximately Sh2.8 billion, while noting that the procurement was divided into several lots and awarded to different firms.
The National Assembly’s Administration and Internal Security Committee was reportedly not involved in the procurement process.
The Daily Nation said committee members only learnt about the new uniform during a budget implementation visit to Kiganjo on August 21.
Questions over procurement
The reports have raised questions about how a company incorporated in 2024 secured a major government supply contract and why details of the procurement have not been publicly disclosed.
The controversy comes as the government presents the new uniform as part of broader police reforms aimed at improving officers’ morale, dignity and professional identity.
Ruto said during Friday’s unveiling that officers had raised concerns about the quality and suitability of the previous uniform.
“Officers expressed legitimate concerns about the current uniform, including its quality, suitability, and effect on professional identity,” he said.
The President also stressed that a new uniform alone would not make the police service more professional.
“Character, discipline, training, and conduct” were what ultimately defined professionalism, he said.
The latest revelations are likely to intensify scrutiny of the procurement, particularly over the relationship between Nalitex, its listed owner and the business figures whose details appear in the company’s records.
Importantly, the reports do not establish that President Ruto or members of his family own Nalitex, nor do they by themselves prove wrongdoing in the award of the tender.
The connection reported by The Standard centres on company addresses and contact details associated with Charles Alusala, who has separately been documented as an accountant handling affairs for businesses linked to the Ruto family.
The National Police Service and the company have yet to publicly provide a detailed explanation addressing all the questions raised about the tender.
