Kenyan TZ Ambassador In Spotlight Over Cashew Deal

Kenya’s Ambassador to Tanzania Dan Kazungu is in the spotlight after it has emerged that he allegedly endorsed Kenyan firm Indo Power Solutions in a deal to buy 100,000 tonnes of cashews despite the firm.

While the firm signed a deal with the Government of Tanzania in January, the firm was subsequently dropped as a result of Indo Powers failure to make payment, despite being granted an extension.

According to Tanzania’s Minister of Trade and Industries Joseph Kakunda, he wrote to the Tanzanian embassy in Kenya to conduct a background check of Indo Power Solutions before going ahead with the deal. After the embassy confirmed the company’s registration in Kenya, minister Kakunda wrote to the firm to request that the Kenyan High Commission in Tanzania present its documentation.

Kaungu has denied involvement in the deal, stating that he did not endorse Indo Power Solutions for the contract but that the decision to award or reject the bid resided with the National Cereals and Produce Board of Tanzania.