In Kenya’s procurement arena, power is often measured by the ability to secure mega deals. For Chinese national Ying Du, however, what stands out is her ability to win both small and large public contracts.
That is because she is unlike many Chinese contractors, who are typically associated with big-ticket infrastructure projects such as the standard gauge railway and the Thika Superhighway, where engineering capability is often the key selling point.
Rarely are Chinese-linked firms found competing for relatively modest supply contracts such as refrigerated bulk milk coolers worth Sh69.7 million. Such tenders are often reserved for locally registered firms, particularly those owned by Kenyan citizens.
Under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, certain tenders are reserved for locally registered firms under the government’s preference and reservation schemes, including categories targeting disadvantaged groups such as youth, women and persons with disabilities.
Yet on March 12, 2025, Oriole Homes, a company linked to Ying Du, won a contract to supply the State Department of Livestock with five 10-litre refrigerated bulk milk coolers and accessories. Such tenders are often reserved for the disadvantaged groups.
But she has also clinched larger deals, including a Sh1.25 billion contract for the upgrade of Koitalel University Campus, a Sh2.4 billion contract linked to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and the supply of 90,000 tonnes of fertiliser to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (Holdings).
Little public information is available about Ying Du, including when she came to Kenya. She did not respond to Business Daily’s questions.
Procurement footprint
Her footprint in public procurement, however, is extensive, spanning multiple sectors and a wide range of supplies.
Ying Du also did not respond to questions on concerns around the award of some of the tenders.
Company records and procurement data reviewed by Business Daily indicate links between Ms Ying and senior figures in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Her growing footprint is particularly visible in the energy sector, where her activities intersect with agencies such as Kenya Power and the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (Rerec).
Ms Ying is listed as a director of Oriole Homes, which was registered on October 14, 2013. She fully owns the company through a layered shareholding structure. The company is positioned as the real estate arm of her Sanjiu Group but has diversified into supplying a broad range of goods and services to State entities.
Her umbrella company, Sanjiu Group, was registered on February 24, 2023, alongside Ye Hongzhao, also a Chinese national.
Located at AVIC Park in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, Sanjiu has three other subsidiaries besides Oriole Homes.
Ingrid Green Limited is the group’s fresh produce distributor, dealing in products ranging from traditional vegetables such as terere to Chinese cabbages.
The group also includes Beta Pro Insurance and pharmaceutical firm Sinalab Pharma (K) Limited. So far, however, Oriole Homes appears to have been the most active in public procurement.
Records at the Registrar of Companies show that Ingrid Green Limited owns 100 percent of Oriole Homes. Ingrid Green is in turn wholly owned by Ying Du.
But there is a twist. When Oriole Homes bid for a contract to supply, install, test and commission solar-powered street lights across Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu, Garissa, Meru, Embu, Tharaka Nithi, Nakuru, Migori and Siaya counties through the then Rural Electrification Authority early last year, procurement disclosures listed Hardlyne Lusui as a co-shareholder with a 25 percent stake.
Ingrid Green was not listed at the time, suggesting the shareholding changes happened later.
Ms Lusui is a seasoned corporate executive who has held senior roles across Kenya’s energy and telecom sectors, including board positions at Kenya Power and Kenya Pipeline, and previously served in Safaricom’s finance department.
She also sits on the board of the government-backed Hustler Fund.
Official procurement records show that Oriole Homes has won smaller contracts that would typically attract local firms.
Information on the procurement portal shows that the company was awarded a contract linked to the redevelopment of one of NSSF’s buildings in Kisumu at a cost of Sh2.4 billion. NSSF did not respond to Business Daily’s questions on the award process.
Tender disputes
The company has also competed against local firms in smaller tenders, and in at least one case prevailed amid a procurement dispute.
For two years until May last year, SLDR International Ltd had supplied fertiliser to Kenya Tea Development Agency (Holdings) Ltd for distribution to thousands of smallholder farmers.
For the 2025 period, however, the tender was awarded to Oriole Homes, prompting a challenge from SLDR.
The firm’s director, Morgan Ezekiel Kipkurui, argued that the procurement process was opaque, discriminatory, and in violation of constitutional principles of transparency, fairness and equality.
Mr Kipkurui also said KTDA failed to respond to requests for information after the company’s bid was rejected.
After his case was dismissed by the High Court on a technicality, having bypassed the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board, Mr Kipkurui returned to the review board on June 23, 2025.
Four days later, however, he withdrew the case seeking to nullify the tender for the supply of 99,000 tonnes of fertiliser to KTDA.
A review of public documents also points to Ying Du’s links to other companies active in contested public procurement matters.
Last year, one of the biggest cases before the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board involved a Sh6.7 billion tender for the supply of single-phase smart meters to Kenya Power by local manufacturers and assemblers. The case was filed by Chint Meters & Electric Kenya Company Limited on July 29, 2025.
Chint ultimately succeeded after the review board nullified the tender over procedural and legal defects, overturning the award to seven firms. The dispute later escalated to the High Court before being withdrawn.
One of the more striking disclosures from the proceedings was an affidavit sworn by Chint’s managing director, Gan Zemin.
The review board heard arguments that Mr Gan should not have sworn the affidavit on behalf of the company because he was neither a director nor a shareholder, raising questions about the company’s governance structure.
Company registration records show that Ying Du is one of the directors of Chint, which was registered on April 19, 2024. The other directors are Chinese national Hongyan Fan and Kenyan Irene Wangui Maina.
Chint has two shareholders: Shanghai Empower Technology Company Limited, which holds a 51 percent stake, and Asabi Ventures Limited, which owns the remaining 49 percent.
Asabi Ventures is owned by Ying Du (70 percent) and Yunwen Hu (30 percent), further extending her footprint in the energy sector.
Oriole Homes Limited has publicly expressed confidence in delivering projects, with Ying Du saying her firm had already begun mobilising resources.
In what she described as a goodwill gesture, she also pledged to offer scholarships to 16 needy students in day secondary schools within Nandi Hills Sub-County this year.
“I am honoured to be here. I thank God for this opportunity. I will deliver this project beyond expectations,” she said.
