Graft: House team clears Ngilu

A Parliamentary team has cleared Water minister Charity Ngilu of allegations of impropriety in her Ministry.

The departmental committee on Lands and Natural Resources chaired by Gachoka MP Mutava Musyimi ruled that there was no evidence to link Mrs Ngilu to allegations of corruption and nepotism at the Ministry and a number of state corporations under it.

“There is no evidence that the Minister for Water and Irrigation is linked to contractors, consultants and dam experts or whether she used her office to influence the award of contracts for construction of dams,” the committee concluded in its report.

It instead turned the heat on Public Works assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri, who had accused Mrs Ngilu of corruption and nepotism, questioning his motives for blowing the whistle on alleged corruption at the Water Ministry.

The committee accused Mr Kiunjuri of attempting to influence inflating the cost of Umaa dam by Sh652 million in favour of the contractor.

“The Hon. Kiunjuri had played golf with the director and contractor Umaa Dam, Chairman, National Water Conservation and Pipeline corporation and sitting Director, National Water Conservation and Pipeline Corporation on August 26, 2010 and appears that during this golfing incidence a deal to inflate the cost of Umaa dam was hatched,” the report notes.

The committee questioned the motive behind Mr Kiunjuri’s subsequent visit to the Dam behind Mrs Ngilu’s back, during which he recommended that the government should sink the extra money into the project.

“The committee concluded that Hon Mwangi Kiunjuri raised issues of corruption in the Ministry of Water and Irrigation and its agents after being transferred,” the committee says.

According to the committee, Mr Kiunjuri squarely blamed Mrs Ngilu for his transfer from the Water Ministry.

“The committee is of the view that had the Hon. Mwangi Kiunjuri not been transferred, he might not have raised these issues. His motive in making the allegations is less than clear,” the report states.

The committee’s findings bring to an end a long running battle of words between Mrs Ngilu and Mr Kiunjuri over alleged corruption at the Ministry which had threatened to harm her career.