On July 15th 2003, the Government of Kenya (represented by the Treasury and Ministry of Defence) entered into a contract with Euromarine Industries by which Euromarine would deliver an oceanographic survey vessel to the Kenya Navy for close to Ksh 4.6 billion. The contract features as one of the 18 contentious security related contracts colloquially described as Anglo Leasing type.

On the same day, two financing contracts were also entered into with two Spanish firms. At some point, Euromarine sub-contracted the ship's construction to another Spanish firm known as Astilleros Gondan.
Payments on this contract were stopped in June 2005, following the earlier intervention of John Githongo, former Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics in the Office of the Kenya President. Euromarine was then reported to have instituted legal action against the Government of Kenya for the withheld payments on the navy ship derogatorily called "Kenya's Spanish Armada" by a former British High Commissioner to Kenya, Edward Clay. The withheld payments have generated political pressure on the Treasury including, according to John Githongo's Report to President Kibaki of November 2005, direct requests to him by the former Ministers for Justice and Internal Security (Kiraitu Murungi and Chris Murungaru).

The ship deal remains cloaked in mystery and has been the subject of an extraordinary press statement by Chris Murungaru in which he names the President as the substantive Minister for Defence and categorically states that no such procurement could have been undertaken without President Kibaki's authorization, which was given according to Dr. Murungaru in June 2003.

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