Economy

Director of Public Prosecutions clears Kingi, Kavuludi of graft claims

amasonkingi

Kilifi county governor Amason Jeffa Kingi. PHOTO | FILE

Kilifi Governor Amason Jeffa Kingi and members of his county administration will not face criminal charges over the procurement of his official residence for Sh140 million, the Director of Public Prosecutions has decided.

Mr Keriako Tobiko agreed with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s assessment in a file submitted to him that there was not enough evidence to support criminal charges. EACC recommended closing the file.

The DPP, however, noted that there was strong evidence the tender for the governor’s residence was rigged in favour of the eventual winner and recommended “stern administrative or disciplinary action” against the members of the evaluation and tender committees, as well as the County Secretary and Head of Treasury (Accounting).

The original charge against Kingi had alleged the house cost Sh168 million, but EACC said the actual purchase price was Sh140 million, which they found to be “reasonable and not inflated”.

Also spared was National Police Service Commission chairman Johnston Kavuludi, his fellow commissioners and a former NPSC chief executive after Tobiko disagreed with EACC’s recommendation that they be prosecuted for financial impropriety in the use of Sh189 million in buying and partitioning their offices at Sky Park Plaza in Westlands.

Saying the evidence seemed weak and charging the accused would interfere with ongoing police vetting and recruitment, Tobiko decided to warn Kavuludi and his fellow commissioners, propose cancellation of the partitioning contract and recommend disciplinary action, including firing, against a public works official involved in the fiasco.

“The chairman and commissioners should be warned against involving themselves in procurement decisions,” read the DPP’s recommendation.

Tobiko revealed he had three new files awaiting decisions, including one on the irregular purchase of 15 Subaru Outback motor vehicles and one Toyota Landcruiser for members of the Machakos county Executive in 2013/14.

Governor Alfred Mutua has come under criticism over the single sourcing of the tender as well as the fact that the vehicles were pre-used.

A decision on the irregular procurement of Sh200 million worth of hatcheries by the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, concurring with the EACC’s recommendation to prosecute Catherine Namuye. A separate matter led to the charging of the YEDF chief executive Juma Mwatata on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria, one of the first casualties of the ‘List Of Shame’ probe, managed to thwart his arrest and prosecution for ethics violations by getting his original conviction quashed.

EACC has less than a dozen working days left to the end of a 60-day deadline to work through the 124 cases that produced the 175-person list its chief executive had presented to the President shortly before this year’s State of the Nation address.