Finance Minister Amos Kimunya addresses high stakes press conference at The Treasury, Nairobi, just 24 hours before the historic Safaricom IPO launch. On Thursday, March 27, 2008, Kimunya dismissed calls by the opposition (ODM) to halt the sale due to the “murky” ownership of Mobitelea Ventures Limited, a shell company holding a 5% indirect stake in Safaricom. Responding to intense pressure from the Public Investments Committee (PIC), Kimunya famously told reporters that once the IPO opened the following day, any Kenyan who became a shareholder would have the legal right to demand the full disclosure of the company’s register—including the identities behind Mobitelea. He accused critics of “ignorance” and “economic sabotage,” insisting that the government was selling its own 25% stake and had no business interfering in the private 40% stake held by Vodafone, which included the Mobitelea portion. Despite the controversy and the “Prince of Impunity” labels from political rivals, Kimunya gave the green light for the Sh50 billion offer to open on Friday, March 28, 2008, marking the largest IPO in East African history. The mystery of Mobitelea, registered in the tax haven of Guernsey, remained a centerpiece of the 2008 parliamentary censure motion that later led to his resignation. March 27, 2008.