The family of the late businessman Stephen Ngei is asking President William Ruto to pay back 180 million shillings that they say was conned from their father.
This demand was made by Ngei’s first-born son, who is also the current CEO of Makindu Motors, the family business.
He has publicly stated that the family has never forgotten this debt and is calling on those close to the President to deliver this message .
This public plea brings back into focus a long-running and painful saga for the family.
The story began in 2018 when Stephen Ngei, the founder of Makindu Motors, was caught up in a complex fraud involving a tender to supply laptops to the government.
Ngei and his business partner were led to believe they had won a lucrative deal to supply 2,800 laptops.
The meetings to finalize this “tender” were held in a government building, specifically an office at Harambee House Annex, which was part of then-Deputy President William Ruto’s office.
The businessmen were ushered in using a VIP lift and met with individuals posing as procurement officers and personal assistants to the DP, making the entire setup seem entirely legitimate .
Believing the deal was genuine, Makindu Motors supplied the laptops. The goods were delivered to locations like the Treasury Building and were even received with the help of uniformed police officers, further convincing Ngei and his partner that everything was in order .
However, it later turned out to be an elaborate scam. The company had been swindled out of laptops worth a significant sum of money, with the family now citing the loss as 180 million shillings.
The shock of this loss was immense; Ngei was reportedly hospitalized for two weeks after discovering he had been defrauded.
The quest for justice has been a long and arduous one for Ngei and his family. The masterminds of the scheme, along with their accomplices, were eventually charged in court.
However, the process has been incredibly difficult.
At one point, Ngei, who was the main complainant in the case, and his business partner were even arrested and charged in a move that seemed to derail the prosecution.
Tragically, Stephen Ngei and his wife died in a road accident in June 2026, leaving the matter unresolved.
The case itself has been dragged through the courts for years, with the High Court even being petitioned to award compensation for the loss.
Now, with the family’s patriarch gone, his son has taken up the mantle. By publicly calling on President Ruto to pay the 180 million shillings, the family is making it clear that they are still fighting for what they believe is rightfully theirs.
They are also ensuring that this case, which caused their family so much pain and financial ruin, is not forgotten, especially considering the location of the original meetings in the office of the then-Deputy President.
The son’s plea is a powerful reminder of the devastating human cost of corruption and the long shadow it can cast over a family, even years after the initial event.