A confidential agreement made nearly two decades ago shows the UK Post Office and its technology partner Fujitsu had a formal process to fix accounting errors generated by their flawed Horizon IT system, directly contradicting years of claims that the system was infallible.

This revelation, contained in a 26-page document from 2006, is the latest bombshell in a scandal that has been called one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in British history. For Kenyans, whose economy and daily lives are deeply integrated with digital platforms, this story from afar serves as a chilling cautionary tale about the absolute need for transparency and accountability when technology fails.

A Pact to Alter the Truth

The document, marked “Commercial in Confidence,” details a system where Fujitsu could amend transaction data on the central database with Post Office authorisation. It even specified that Fujitsu was liable for penalty payments of £100-£150 (approx. KES 17,300 - 26,000) for each faulty transaction. This arrangement existed even as the Post Office was aggressively prosecuting its own branch operators, known as sub-postmasters, for the very shortfalls the system was creating.

Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted for theft and fraud based on the faulty Horizon data. The Post Office consistently argued in court that the IT system was “robust” and that remote access to branch accounts was impossible, a position now shattered by this 2006 agreement.

The Human Cost of a Corporate Lie

The consequences for the accused were catastrophic, leading to financial ruin, imprisonment, and profound personal trauma. The scandal is linked to multiple suicides and countless broken families.

• Over 900 people were wrongfully convicted based on flawed data.
• Hundreds were imprisoned, losing their homes, savings, and reputations.
• Many were told they were the only ones experiencing such problems, a deliberate tactic of isolation.

This systematic denial of reality highlights a profound failure in corporate governance. In Kenya, where digital systems from government services to mobile money are pillars of the economy, the scandal underscores the immense responsibility held by corporations and the devastating potential for harm when accountability fails.

As the UK’s public inquiry continues to expose the depth of the deception, the fight for full compensation and justice for the victims continues. For one wrongly accused operator, Lee Castleton, the news of the secret contract made him feel “physically sick,” a sentiment that echoes the betrayal felt by hundreds more. The scandal is a stark reminder that behind every system error, there are human lives, and the ultimate cost of corporate dishonesty is paid not on a balance sheet, but in shattered futures.