Leo Wa Muthende (Leonard Muriuki) KNH Oxygen Plant Scandal: What You Need to Know

Leonard “Leo Wa Muthende” Muriuki, a UDA politician and aspirant for the Mbeere North parliamentary seat, has been at the center of a high-profile controversy relating to a Sh 433 million oxygen plant project at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH). Below is a detailed look at the scandal, the allegations, and its political implications.

What’s the KNH Oxygen Project?

• In 2022, Biomax Africa Limited, a company owned by Leonard Muriuki Njeru (aka Leo Wa Muthende), was awarded a contract by the Ministry of Health to design, install, test, and commission an oxygen-generation plant at KNH.
• The contract was reportedly for Sh 433 million.
• The plant was supposed to generate 8,000 liters per minute (LPM) of medical-grade oxygen — a capacity that would have significantly strengthened KNH’s oxygen supply system.

What Went Wrong: Performance & Procurement Issues

1. Underperformance of the Plant
   • Despite the ambitious specification, once installed, the plant delivered only 2,800 LPM, far below the contracted 8,000 LPM.
   • This shortfall forced KNH to continue buying oxygen from external suppliers.
2. Additional Costs to KNH / Taxpayers
   • KNH reportedly spent over Sh 100 million on a transformer and generator — costs that, according to the original contract terms, should have been borne by the contractor.
   • The hospital’s electricity bill allegedly shot up by Sh 500 million annually because the inefficient plant consumed more power than anticipated.
   • Meanwhile, between July 2023 and February 2024, KNH reportedly paid Sh 168 million for liquid oxygen from private suppliers.
3. Procurement Red Flags
   • The Ethics & Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) received a complaint and launched an investigation.
   • It is alleged that Biomax Africa submitted falsified documents to win the tender.
   • The KNH Board, in a meeting, expressed concerns about the director of Biomax (Muriuki) having prior business links with the hospital’s Board Chair, raising conflict-of-interest issues.
   • According to reports, fundamental due diligence was allegedly skipped by the Ministry of Health’s tender-evaluation committee.

Legal & Institutional Fallout

• The EACC report was forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), recommending prosecution for several individuals, including Muriuki, then-Ministry of Health officers, and KNH management.
• The KNH CEO, Dr. Evanson Kamuri, who was in office during this period, was suspended. His bank accounts and several properties have been frozen amid the probe.
• A court froze Sh 229 million worth of assets belonging to the suspended KNH CEO.

Political Implications & Reactions

• Despite the scandal, Leonard Muriuki (Leo Wa Muthende) was granted the UDA nomination for the Mbeere North by-election.
• The controversy has been widely covered in the media: some outlets refer to him as the “oxygen bandit.”
• The Standard Media reported that the EACC is pushing for his arrest. From a political standpoint, this scandal poses reputational risks for both Muriuki and UDA, especially in a by-election where development and integrity are key voter concerns.

Name Change Note

• Interestingly, Muriuki appears to have legally changed his name: in a Kenya Gazette notice, he renounced the name “Leonard Muriuki Njeru” and now officially goes by Leonard “Leo Wa Muthende” Njeru.
• Some media and political commentators suggest that the name change may be linked to managing reputational risks amid the scandal.

Conclusion

Leonard “Leo Wa Muthende” Muriuki is more than just a UDA aspirant for Mbeere North — he is now deeply enmeshed in one of Kenya’s most controversial healthcare procurement scandals.

The KNH oxygen plant project, originally pitched as a lifesaving solution, allegedly underperformed massively and incurred huge costs for taxpayers.

With investigations underway, the scandal will likely shape not just his political future but also Kenya’s larger discourse on corruption, health infrastructure, and accountability.