Nominated Member of Parliament Joseph Hamisi Dena from the Amani National Congress (ANC) is facing serious legal trouble after being linked to a multi-million shilling corruption scandal involving government parastatals.
According to ongoing investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Dena is accused of using several companies tied to him to launder money in collusion with officials from a major government agency based at the Coast.
The MP is said to have worked closely with Antony Muhanji, a senior officer formerly attached to the same agency, to manipulate contracts and divert public funds into private accounts.
The EACC has zeroed in on a network of companies including Harbour Contractors (K) Limited, Kitengela Aqua Fish Farm Limited, Citiport Engineering (K) Limited, and Idealyic Company Limited, all suspected of being vehicles used to channel corrupt proceeds. Additional companies run by Dena and his close associates such as Stone Contractor and Escalate Group C are also being probed.
In a letter dated July 4, 2024, the commission summoned three directors, Joseph Hamisi Dena, Mercy Mterere, and Joseph Kingwangu Safarry for questioning on issues surrounding abuse of office and conflict of interest. Financial records reveal suspicious deposits into company accounts over a span of several years. One Equity Bank account received Kshs. 66.8 million between February and October 2021, while a Cooperative Bank account registered Kshs. 42.7 million in deposits between 2018 and 2019.
Investigators believe the firms received a vast majority of their earnings from a single government client, suggesting the absence of legitimate business diversity and reinforcing suspicions of money laundering. One company is reported to have earned 99 percent of its income solely from this agency.
Tax evasion is also at the heart of the investigation. Reports show that in 2021, one of the companies declared an income of only Kshs. 45 million while its bank records showed over Kshs. 104 million in credits, indicating that income was understated by nearly Kshs. 59 million.
This difference translates to an estimated tax liability of Kshs. 17.6 million in income tax and Kshs. 9.4 million in VAT. The Kenya Revenue Authority has been notified of these discrepancies and is expected to initiate recovery proceedings.
Relatives of the MP, including Gliny Joseph Dena and George Shuma Dena, have also been named in the investigation. Intelligence sources say these family members were used as proxies and were actively involved in moving funds. The MP is also alleged to have used his influence to gain unauthorized access to bank accounts where he wasn’t listed as a signatory, controlling transactions behind the scenes.
Some of the money is believed to have been transferred to unknown accounts in an attempt to dodge police surveillance and asset tracking.In a related case filed in 2022, the EACC sought to recover over Kshs.
78 million from Antony Muhanji, who allegedly awarded excavation and concrete works contracts to a company he secretly owned while still serving as the project manager at the agency. Court documents show that Muhanji never disclosed his stake in the company, effectively awarding himself the contract using insider knowledge.
Dena was also named in the suit, further tying him to the scandal. Despite several attempts to contact him, the MP has remained silent, failing to respond to calls or emails from reporters. The lack of communication has only intensified public suspicion, especially as documents in the possession of investigators show the full extent of his involvement.
With mounting evidence and the EACC closing in, Joseph Hamisi Dena could soon find himself not just suspended from public office, but facing a jail sentence if found guilty of these serious crimes.
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