Wednesday October 10, 2018, Kenyans woke up to the shocking news of a tragic road accident that had claimed at least 50 lives as at 9:30 am.
It occurred at Tunnel area, a black spot on the Londiani-Muhoroni road. It later emerged that the Homeboyz christened Kakamega-bound bus had overloaded.
This found Cleophas Shimanyula, the owner of the bus in Court. But how did the case go?
Well, did you know that the killer bus is back on the road, this time round as a truck? Well, the killer bus had the registration number KBX 092J.
A truck with the same registration number, is now reaping millions in county deals.
On Monday July 13, 2020, Kakamega governor Wycliffe Ambestsa Oparanya launched construction of a Kshs. 90 million water project in Shinyalu Sub County.
He flagged off the the truck, which will be taking part in the project.
Well, Dailytrends.co.ke has learnt that Shimanyula, who is commonly known as Toto among Kakamega residents, rose from a modest background to a politically well-connected businessman, who curved a niche for himself in the public transport sector
The man is simply known as ‘Toto’ in his home area and is the founder and chairman of Kakamega Home Boyz Football Club.
He has ventured into construction and one of his firms, Western Cross, is involved in garbage collection in Kakamega Town. Some attribute this to his close ties to Kakamega County, whose Governor is Wycliffe Oparanya.
Mr Shimanyula is shrewd but prefers to stay away from the limelight. Despite his affluence, he does not frequent social joints.
The businessman cuts the image of a simple but enigmatic individual and is often seen driving himself in his 2015 Lexus LX 570.
The man is credited with turning around the taxi business in the town by introducing bigger and powerful vehicles, including Toyota Prados, for car hire services by high-profile clients.
They include county executives, politicians and other prominent personalities.
Today, Mr Shimanyula owns a yard next to Bukhungu Stadium where his lorries and construction machines are kept.
As his businesses grew, Mr Shimanyula started making his presence felt in the political scene by associating with key politicians in the region and helping mobilise supporters for their campaigns.
One such politician is former Cabinet Minister Cyrus Jirongo, who hired Mr Shimanyula’s vehicles for campaigns. The businessman helped him gather supporters for his rallies.
When he ran for the presidency in 2013, politician Musalia Mudavadi also hired Mr Shimanyula’s large fleet.
The businessman is also said to enjoy close ties with Governor Oparanya and scores of other western politicians.
