NAIROBI Governor Evans Kidero was yesterday interrogated for most of the day by EACC detectives over allegations of irregular procurement worth about Sh5 billion by the county government.
Kidero was also interrogated over allegations that, as the Managing Director of the Mumias Sugar Company, he paid Sh280 million for legal services not rendered.
Kidero arrived at Integrity Centre at 9:30am and walked into the interrogation room accompanied by his lawyers while hundreds of his supporters waited outside the EACC headquarters with public address systems, singing.
EACC detectives want to know what role he played in alleged irregular procurement by officers of the Nairobi county government in the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Foton East Africa.
In the allegations, it is said that Kidero signed a deal worth Sh4.6 billion shillings in a plan to launch a metro transport system in a process suspected to be flawed.
EACC has been conducting the investigations but had not interrogated Kidero and recorded his statement.
The detectives also sought to know the role he played as the Mumias Sugar Company MD in the processing of Sh300 million legal fees paid into lawyer Tom Ojienda’s personal account instead of the account of the contracted law firm – Ojienda and Co Advocates.
“Inquiry into allegations that before Kidero, now Nairobi Governor, left Mumias Sugar Company, he processed legal fees of Sh300 million and instantly paid Sh280 million for services not rendered to the company,†the EACC report on the status of corruption cases under investigation released by President Uhuru Kenyatta to Parliament says.
Over 1,000 of Kidero’s supporters flocked Integrity Centre and its environs, chanting songs in his praise as the interrogation went on. Their attempt to enter the EACC headquarters forcibly was thwarted by Administration Police officers manning the gate.
Reinforcements of extra police officers in an AP Land Rover were quickly brought in.
A group of youth sitting in a storm drain a distance away from the crowd and opposite the Nairobi county police headquarters puffed away on sticks of bhang, to the amazement of many pedestrians.
Meanwhile, former members of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC), including Runyenjes legislator Cecily Mbarire and Nakuru Town East MP Samuel Arama, also appeared before EACC investigators to answer to allegations of bribery.
The entire PAC team was disbanded after allegations of bribery to influence the writing of a report in relation to fraudulent expenditure at the Office of the President.
Read more here
Leave a Reply