23 September 2020 | West Kenya Union President Samuel Misiani is facing accusations he awarded a lucrative construction project to Achera and Partners Limited, a firm associated with his brother, Charles Achera.

The contract is worth Sh300 million, over USD 2.7 million. It is for the construction of a staff housing project to be built in the Kanyakwar neighborhood of Kisumu. The contract was first awarded in 2017.

Kenya’s The Star reported that church members are saying Misiani is receiving a Sh30 million (over USD 276,000) house as a kick-back. Misiani has denied the allegations, claiming the contract was awarded before he became president of the Adventist union.

Misiani says his house will only cost Sh15 million (just over USD 138,000) and will be financed through a loan he hasn’t yet secured.

“It is my brother who designed the house for me, and I paid him some amount from my pocket,” he said, according to The Star.

Misiani said Achera had worked on other denominational construction projects, including the union headquarters.

The Star reported pushback against Misiani’s explanation. The newspaper claims church members said delays on the staff housing project meant it had to be reapproved in 2018, after Misiani became president of the West Kenya Union. The contract was awarded to Achera again at that point.

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