Ababu Namwamba says life in danger over graft exposé

What you need to know:

Embattled Public Accounts Committee chairman Ababu Namwamba has told a parliamentary team probing corruption allegations that his life is in danger.
Ababu blames his woes to the sensitive investigations involving confidential expenditure at the office of the President amounting to Sh2.8 billion and the Judiciary spending of Sh2 billion.
The Cheboi-led Powers and Privileges Committee is investigating allegations of corruption, bribery and intimidation in the powerful parliamentary watchdog body.

Embattled Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Ababu Namwamba has told a parliamentary team probing bribery allegations that his life is in danger.

Mr Namwamba told the Powers and Privileges Committee that he will be recording a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) following threats to his life after he exposed matters of corruption during PAC investigations.

He blamed his woes on sensitive investigations involving confidential expenditure at the office of the President amounting to Sh2.8 billion and the Judiciary spending of Sh2 billion.

“I want to tell this committee... that my life is not entirely safe having dealt with powerful forces in the office of the President, the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission), the Judiciary and (elsewhere in relation to) the Hustler jet scandal.

“I walk away entirely feeling unsafe and I will be visiting the DCI to share my concern on threats to my life and that of my wife and two children. May it be recorded on Hansard (official record of Parliament) that my life is in danger,” Mr Namwamba told the committee chaired by Kuresoi North MP Moses Cheboi when he appeared before it.

Ten MPs including Mr Namwamba later addressed the Press and called on security agencies to beef up the PAC chairman’s security.

The Cheboi-led committee is investigating allegations of corruption, bribery and intimidation in PAC.

Mr Namwamba handed over a tape recording involving a conversation between former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Suna East MP Junnet Mohammed and Nakuru town West MP Samuel Arama discussing bribes allegedly paid by officials at the office of the President to change PAC recommendations with regards to the Sh2.8 billion confidential expenditure by security agencies.

In the recording, which was played out to members of the committee in the presence of the media, Mr Arama is heard allegedly implicating Nyatike MP Omondi Anyanga and his Ijara counterpart Abas Mohammed as having taken bribes from Defence PS Mutea Iringo on behalf of PAC members.

READ: Ababu demands to be grilled in public over graft claims

The money is alleged to have been paid out to the members to change contents of the report.

Mr Namwamba said that at the time the corruption allegations erupted, his committee had reached a critical point of calling witnesses to testify in the probe on the procurement of biometric voter registration kits (BVR) and other election materials by IEBC.

He tabled a list of persons the committee had lined up to testify alongside a special audit report on the procurement of election materials conducted by Auditor-General Edward Ouko as evidence.

“I want you to look keenly at the recommendations of our three financial year PAC reports, our inquiry into the Sh25 million hiring of a presidential jet Deputy President William Ruto used to tour four West African countries and the reports of our committee on the Judiciary procurements and make your own conclusions,” he said.

Mr Namwamba said he believes that PAC has been “a victim of cocktail of forces that have combined to cripple the operations of the committee”.

He said the committee was at a critical stage of evidence taking on the BVR procurements and the Judiciary and therefore political forces who did not want the investigations to continue may have interfered through some members of PAC.

Mr Cheboi assured Namwamba that he was not under any trial or investigation saying the committee wants to know the truth surrounding bribery claims, corruption and intimidation.

“I want to assure you that you are not under any investigation as an individual or representative of Budalang’i. We are investigating alleged breach of privilege or code of conduct by PAC, the alleged compromises, corruption and deceit,” he said.

Mr Cheboi said the committee had listened to Mr Abas, Mr Anyanga and Kesses MP James Bett and that “so far, no single allegation has been substantiated against you”.

Mr Namwamba said he was ready to respond to any allegations so long as they are substantiated.