A top Cabinet official phoned CS Peter Munya twice pushing him to approve the release Sh4 billion for Arror and Kimwarer dams, investigations show.
A principal secretary also attempted to pressure Munya into signing the documents, but the CS refused.
Munya told the police, in a statement, that he refused to sign because he was new to the ministry and he had noticed a lot of pressure from people he believed had vested interests.
On two occasions, a PS walked into his office and sought to know if he had signed the documents. This made him suspicious. He decided that he would only sign after investigating why there was a lot of pressure to release the cash.
He instead wrote to Treasury CS Henry Rotich and advised that no funds should be released for construction of the two dams.
The details were revealed to DCI investigators by the Industrialisation, CS when he recorded statements on Tuesday over the Sh21 billion dam scandal.
Highly placed sources said DCI chief George Kinoti was expected to give new directives on the investigations after the name of the influential member of the Cabinet featured in Munya’s statement.
Kinoti is expected to advise whether the senior government official will be questioned.
After Munya delivered the letter to Rotich, the top official called him and sought to know why he had declined to sign the dam papers.
The top official told Munya to keep the matter a secret and let it be dealt with “within the government”.
He told Munya to ensure the dam issue did not reach the press.
Meanwhile, PS Irungu Nyakera recorded a statement at the DCI offices. He told investigators he was not involved at any stage of the agreements.
Investigators from the serious crime unit were dispatched to Mombasa to record follow-up statements from two Cabinet secretaries.
They are Mwangi Kiunjuri (Agriculture) and Eugene Wamalwa (Devolution).
The two had recorded their statements earlier. A decision to send investigators to Mombasa, where President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Cabinet are meeting Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni, has signalled the seriousness and urgency with which the DCI is treating the matter.
Police insiders say the DCI wants the investigations concluded. There is a possibility that arrests of high- ranking government officials could start as early as this weekend.
