Kosgey appears before graft team over 3,000 cars

Industrialisation minister Henry Kosgey was Wednesday questioned by anti-corruption detectives in Nairobi for two-and-half hours.

The Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), was also investigating the ministry of Medical Services.

There were reports, later denied by the KACC, that investigators went to the Water and Environment ministries and carted away documents.

Detectives are also said to interested in Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o’s Medical Services ministry, over a Sh636 million drug tender now in court.

Mr Kosgey was questioned over more than 3,000 cars impounded at the Mombasa port by the Kenya Revenue Authority. The minister allegedly cleared the cars for import by second-hand car dealers although they were more than eight years old.

The flurry of investigations came a day after President Kibaki declared there would be no mercy for swindlers of the taxpayer.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga expressed similar views, although he cautioned against witch-hunting.

Mr Kosgey visited Integrity Centre in Nairobi’s Milimani area shortly after 11am.

Kenyans who have lived abroad for more than two years are allowed to bring home their cars, even if they are more than eight years old.

The minister told journalists he had been summoned to verify the import documents of 67 vehicles, which are more than eight years old, and which KRA officials seized.

He denied that his visit was linked to any possible wrong-doing. “I don’t think they have a problem with that but again that is something you need to ask them. I can’t answer for Kacc, I can only answer what I came to do was to verify the list,” Mr Kosgey said.

On Tuesday, Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni tabled a letter in Parliament signed by Kebs showing that 454 vehicles over the mandatory age had been exempted and allowed into the country in the last six months.

The KACC investigations, also target two PSs, who are involved in the award of a mining licence to a firm that applied for the permit using forged papers.

Kacc is investigating the circumstances under which the company, whose certificate of inception includes the name of a sitting PS, landed the deal.

Prof Nyong’o is the latest top government official facing questions in the renewed war on graft that has so far touched five Cabinet ministers.

Local Authorities minister Musalia Mudavadi is targeted over the controversial Sh283 million cemetery scandal.

Foreign Affairs minister Moses Wetang’ula was forced to step aside last week over the Sh1.1 billion loss during the purchase of an embassy property in Tokyo Japan.

In the Health ministry, the commission will likely interview officials over how a tender was allegedly irregularly awarded to a firm for medical supplies.

The commission is investigating claims of corruption, fraud and bid rigging by a company in the award of contracts by the ministry.

When the commission started investigating the matter, the ministry stopped any further performance of the contracts.

Investigations by Kacc had shown that a director of one of the companies manipulated the tender process for supply of various medical provisions to the government-owned Kenya Medical Supplies Agency.

The same person was also a primary director of at least 10 other companies that also submitted bids for the same tenders to provide medical supplies to the agency.

One of the transactions is the subject of a court case that is expected to come up next week.

The participation of numerous companies associated with the director was intended to generate artificial competition and defeat genuine competitive bidding, thus ensuring that at least one of his companies was awarded the tender.

At the Local Authorities, at least 15 senior officials are under investigation following the Sh283 million City Hall cemetery scandal, where the taxpayer lost money in land judged to be useless for graves.

Permanent secretary Sammy Kirui has been suspended over the scandal while Nairobi mayor Geophrey Majiwa has been charged in court.

At the Education ministry, Sh103 million was lost through unretired imprests. At least 10 officers have been charged in court following investigations by the graft watchdog.

Former Water assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri has accused Mrs Ngilu of misusing public funds after the ministry sunk 126 boreholes out of a total of 408 in her native Ukambani region.

But Mrs Ngilu has resolutely denied ever engaging in corruption at her ministry. Water PS David Stower has also put corrupt ministry staff on notice. He has said that steps have been taken to end the ghost of corruption, including sacking of corrupt employees.

In Mombasa, a women’s group urged Mrs Ngilu to step aside to allow independent investigations in her ministry.

The women led by Ms Amina Abdalla said they would not back anyone accused of impropriety.