Four Cabinet secretaries, a senator and an MP are likely to be charged over corruption after the anti-graft agency concluded investigations against them.
At the same time, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has written to President Uhuru Kenyatta, asking for more time to complete investigations on another 68 corruption cases after the 60 days he had given it expired on Sunday.
Mr Michael Kamau (Transport), Ms Charity Ngilu (Lands), Mr Felix Koskei (Agriculture) and Mr Kazungu Kambi (Labour) — who have already stepped down from office — are likely to face court action once the EACC forwards their files to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) on Monday.
Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko and an unnamed MP, whose files will also be sent to the DPP on Monday, are also likely to face corruption charges.
The fate of Energy CS Davis Chirchir is still in the hands of the commission, which has not finalised investigations into various corruption allegations against him.
Other high-ranking government officials, including principal secretaries whose names appeared on the List of Shame tabled in Parliament by President Kenyatta are still under investigation.
Addressing a press conference on Sunday, EACC chief executive Halakhe Waqo said the commission had finalised investigations on 56 files out of the 124 cases in the list.
“Twenty one files out of the completed investigations have been forwarded to the DPP,” he said.
As a result, 19 public officers have been charged in court so far, while another 29 will be charged “in the next few days” in various parts of the country, including Turkana, Machakos, Nyamira, Nairobi and Trans Nzoia.
Mr Waqo said the concluded investigations on 35 files have been undergoing “evidence analysis” by the EACC legal team and would be forwarded to the DPP “in due course” while 68 cases are under active investigation.
He said the commission received many allegations against the CSs and PSs and some of them were still being investigated.
“We wish to point out that investigations sometimes take long, depending on various factors which include but are not limited to the complexity of their nature, international dimensions and support from various stakeholders in the retrieval of evidence,” said Mr Waqo.
“Due to the reasons stated above, it could not be possible to finalise all the matters in 60 days”.
ALLEDGEDLY COLLUDED
Mr Waqo also confirmed that former Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia had not yet been cleared and is still under investigation in two other corruption cases.
Transport CS Kamau’s file contains allegations that he was involved in embezzlement of funds in the ongoing construction of Kamukuywa-Kaptama-Kapsokwony-Kimilili road, where he allegedly colluded with the contractor to change the road design, leading to loss of public funds.
According to EACC documents seen by the Nation, he is still under investigation for “alleged abuse of office and irregular payment for services not rendered in the construction of Garissa-Modika-Nuno road”.
The CS is also being investigated for alleged illegal allocation of a contract to a clearing and forwarding firm, Land Mark Clearing and Forwarding Company, for 14 years. The firm was allegedly tasked with undertaking 80 per cent of imported cargo passing through the port of Mombasa belonging to a Chinese company contracted to build the Mombasa-Nairobi-Malaba railway line.
Ms Ngilu faces three accusations touching on land matters and the file to be given to the DPP today contains allegations that she conspired with Mr Evanson Waitiki to defraud the government of Sh110 million by over-valuing the land in Likoni, Mombasa, that was to be bought from Mr Waitiki to settle squatters.
She is also under investigation for alleged fraud concerning a piece of land on State House Crescent and a third allegation of being among government officials and politicians involved in grabbing a 134-acre land in Karen belonging to Mr Horatius Da Gama Rose.
Mr Koskei has been accused of alleged irregular leasing of the Kenya Veterinary Vaccine Production Institute land in Tigoni Limuru. He is also under investigation over alleged secret allocation of permits for sugar imports.
Mr Kambi is likely to face charges for irregular appointment of Mr Andrew Gichamba Muigai and Ms Veska Jepkemboi as members of the National Social Security Fund board. He is also under investigation for irregularly approving Sh5 billion for infrastructure development at Tassia II housing scheme.
Lastly, Mr Chirchir is under investigation for allegedly embezzling Sh90 million by influencing the award of a tender to a firm known as Sinopec.
He is also alleged to be among officials who received bribes from a UK printing firm to offer the company a tender during his tenure at the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission.
-nation.co.ke
