From grace to grass: Wambui wa Ruto's fall

For decades, the corridors of Kenya's business elite have been navigated by those who understand a simple fact, that political access translates to commercial opportunity. Mary Wambui Mungai understood this simple mathematics. From humble beginnings as a clerical officer at the Ministry of Health, she built a sprawling business empire that at its height included multi-billion-shilling government contracts, a luxury hotel and the chairpersonship of one of Kenya's most powerful regulatory bodies. Today that empire could be in ruins.

On July 6, 2026, Equity Bank Kenya Limited appointed Kamal Anantroy Bhatt as administrator of Glee Hotel Limited, seizing control of the 211-room seven-star hotel and its eight-acre property in the upscale Runda, following an unpaid debt of Sh7.75 billion.

It is a spectacular fall for a woman who, just three years earlier, stood at the crux of Kenya's political economy where she was a key financier to President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, rewarded with strategic state appointments and contracts worth tens of billions.

Born and raised in Gachinja, Gatundu South, Wambui's trajectory from a government clerical officer to a business mogul started the mid-1990s, she founded Purma Holdings Limited, a procurement firm that would become her main vehicle for lucrative  state contracts.

Over three decades, her portfolio expanded to include supplying uniforms and tactical gear to the Kenya Defence Forces, providing medical supplies through KEMSA, and engaging in general trade ranging from food imports to office equipment. She served as a board member of Kenyatta National Hospital for seven years, chairing both the Finance and All Purposes Committee and the Corporate Strategy and Enterprise Committee.

But it was her political alignment that would prove both her making and undoing. Wambui was among the financiers who funded President Uhuru Kenyatta's 2017 re-election campaign through the Jubilee Party. However, by the twilight of the Kenyatta administration, the relationship had soured due to her close relationship with the then deputy president setting the stage for a legal onslaught that would only be halted by Ruto's victory.

During the final years of President Uhuru Kenyatta's tenure, Wambui found herself hounded by state prosecutors. In January 2022, she was charged with two counts of being in possession of a firearm without a valid license and 22 rounds of ammunition without a valid certificate, a case that was later dropped after Ruto became president.

Wambui and her daughter Purity Njoki Mungai were accused in a Sh2.2 billion tax evasion case involving Purma Holdings Limited. The charges stemmed from allegations that the company had unlawfully omitted income tax returns for the years 2014 to 2019, a period in which it secured lucrative government tenders for supplying boots, uniforms, and cereals to the military and other State departments.

In December 2021, a warrant of arrest was issued against them, and they fled their homes, taking refuge inside Weston Hotel where they lived for a while before a dramatic near arrest incident at the Weston Hotel where officers missed them by minutes but found their personal belongings, bank cards, and car keys.

They later surrendered and were released on a Sh50 million bond with a surety of Sh25 million each. In April 2022, the High Court denied the KRA's plea to preserve 13 bank accounts linked to Wambui, with the judge criticising the taxman for its continued refusal to accept the payment of an admitted sum of Sh34 million that Wambui had offered.

President Ruto's electoral victory in August 2022 transformed Wambui's fortunes overnight. On December 2, President Ruto appointed Wambui as chairperson of the Board of the Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) for a three-year term. Just four days after her appointment, the tax evasion case against her and her daughter was withdrawn. The Kenya Revenue Authority had reached an agreement with the accused persons, and the DPP informed the court of the withdrawal. "Following successful compounding of offences on December 6, 2022, and subsequent payment of fines imposed, the authority now wishes to withdraw the matter pending before the court," a KRA letter read.

Wambui's lawyer, Nelson Havi, noted in court that "KRA no longer has a problem with our client. We are wondering who is making the decision." The firearm case against her was also dropped on December 5, 2022.

With the legal clouds clearing, the businesswoman's companies began to feast on state contracts. The Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) emerged as a multi-billion shilling cash machine, with Wambui's network positioned at its centre.

Records show that four companies linked to Wambui were contracted to ship in edible oil, rice, and beans in deals valued at more than Sh6 billion. Purma Holdings, where Wambui is the sole proprietor, secured a contract for 30,000 tonnes of rice, 20,000 tonnes of beans, and 12,500 tonnes of cooking oil. Charma Holdings Ltd, whose co-owner is Wambui's daughter, Evelyn Nyambura Mungai, along with associate Ruth Waithira Kinyanjui, was contracted to import 535,950 jerrycans of cooking oil and 20,000 tonnes of red kidney beans. Kinyanjui's postal address on official documents is identical to Wambui's personal postal address.

Enterprise Supplies Ltd, where Wambui is the sole shareholder, was to sell 6,250 tonnes of cooking oil while Evertec General Trading Company Ltd, where Kinyanjui is listed as the contact person, also received contracts.

The contracts were awarded without competitive bidding and the then-Trade Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria informed the Senate that the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority allowed KNTC to buy commodities directly from companies without tendering, citing the fact that KNTC was buying the food for trading and not for internal use or consumption.

Documents show that KNTC bought a 20-litre can of cooking oil for Sh3,647 while contractors bought at Sh2,806, creating a substantial profit margin. Purma Holdings was estimated to earn Sh2.5 billion from the oil contract alone, with Sh589 million in profit before taxes and expenses.

Perhaps the most brazen allegations against Wambui relate to the Digital Superhighway project, President Ruto's flagship digital economy agenda. The project aims to install 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables, establish 25,000 public hotspots, and create 1,450 Digital Village Smart Hubs.

As chairperson of the Communications Authority, Wambui was at the apex of the regulatory body overseeing this project despite the conflict of interest.

Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, in her report for the year ending June 2025, raised serious red flags about contracts awarded to Nightingale Enterprises Limited, a company linked to Wambui's family.

The chronology isinteresting. On December 2, 2022 was Wambui appointed CA chairperson and December 5, 2022 she resigned as a director of Nightingale Enterprises, transferring 500 shares to her daughter, Evelyn Nyambura Mungai. On February 2023 ICTA advertised tenders for the digital superhighway and tenders were opened on March 28, 2023.

On April 17, 2023 CA and ICTA entered into a technical cooperation agreement for the project and Nightingale was informed of the intention to award it a Sh54.3 million tender.

On April 29, 2023 Wambui chaired a CA Board meeting that ratified the agreement and approved the Sh5 billion budget for the project, drawn from the Universal Service Fund (USF), which the CA manages. On June 19, 2023 Evelyn Nyambura resigned as a director and transferred her shares a week before the company signed its first contract.

The Auditor-General's report states: "Audit review of the bidders' company ownership document, CR 12 and resume of board members, revealed that two companies in which the Board Chairperson and a Board member of CA had controlling interest in, were awarded contracts by ICT Authority."

In the 2024/2025 financial year alone, Nightingale implemented contracts valued at Sh401.6 million under the digital superhighway project. The Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) filed a petition challenging these awards, arguing that public employees and their close relatives are not eligible to participate in the tenders. The case is still before the High Court.

In August 2025, President Ruto revoked Wambui's appointment as CA chairperson. In what was widely seen as a demotion, she was replaced by Charles Kamau Karondo. However, in a simultaneous move, Water Cabinet Secretary Eric Mugaa appointed Wambui as the non-executive Chairperson of the Athi Water Works Development Agency Board, swapping roles with Karondo.

A financial leak in 2024 revealed that Wambui had on April 7, 2016 when she was serving in KNH board purchased two off-plan plots in Al Yufrah 3, Dubai, valued at $817,060 (Sh105.4 million) on.

As Wambui's political star rose, so did her debts and last month, the bill came due. Under a consent agreement recorded on February 24, 2026, Equity Bank agreed to accept Sh7.75 billion in full as final settlement of Wambui's outstanding debt and that of related entities. The amount represented about 85 per cent of the total indebtedness and was to be financed through a refinancing arrangement by KCB Bank Kenya.

The agreement was time-bound and  payment was required within 45 days. When the time expired without payment, Wambui went back to court seeking a 60-day extension. She argued that the refinancing transaction with KCB was complex and had been delayed by due diligence requirements. Equity Bank opposed the application,and the High Court agreed, dismissing her request. However, the court did grant a conditional suspension of the bank's statutory remedies under the Land Act, ordering Wambui to pay Sh100 million within seven days.

She failed to meet that condition and on July 6, 2026, Equity Bank appointed an administrator who took control over the hotel's assets and management.

Today, Mary Wambui Mungai, once a powerful businesswoman and political financier with billions of shillings in state contracts flowing to her companies, is fighting a losing battle to save her empire.