Make Ngilu pay for fraud, says Kiunjuri
HEZRON NJOROGE | Nation
Former Water assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri testifies before the Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, on Thursday. Kiunjuri has accused Water minister Charity Ngilu of engaging in corrupt deals in the construction of dams.
What you need to know:
- Assistant minister says Water boss must be held culpable for alleged corrupt dealings at the ministry
The Water ministry and the National Water Corporation knowingly engaged in corrupt dealings in the construction of dams, a Parliamentary committee heard on Thursday.
Public Works assistant minister Mwangi Kiunjuri was back before the Environment and Natural Resources Committee for questioning over alleged corrupt dealings in the Ministry of Water and Irrigation.
And he said there was no way the minister, Mrs Charity Ngilu, could be exonerated from blame.
Mr Kiunjuri also challenged the committee to unravel the truth about the alleged corruption.
“This is not an issue of anyone stepping down, that is a very small thing to ask. This is about bringing out the issues clearly to the public so that the extent of the corruption is known and justice done to taxpayers,” he said.
Mr Kiunjuri said the minister must bear political responsibility.
“It is very clear that somebody has failed in his or her responsibility in this matter, this is an issue of negligence and lack of integrity,” he stated.
Among others, Mr Kiunjuri who served in the Water ministry as an assistant minister until a recent reshuffle, wants to committee chaired by Gachoka MP Mutava Musyimi to establish whether Mrs Ngilu had any association with five consulting companies that were involved in construction of dams.
The committee had earlier asked Mr Kiunjuri why he took no action during his term at the Water ministry, to which he responded: “As an assistant minister you are never given information unless it is the minister or the PS, you only masquerade as one without powers,” he stated.
At Thursday’s morning session, Mr Kiunjuri took the committee through the design, awarding of contract and construction process of the Umma Dam where massive corruption has been alleged.
Mrs Ngilu recently responding to Mr Kiunjuri’s claims said there was an over quotation of Sh652,498,835 in the construction of the dam, which was more than the funds required to complete the project.
Mr Kiunjuri, however, claimed the ministry and the National Water Corporation colluded to inflate prices in the project. He said the cost was inflated four times more than the actual cost to about Sh180 million.
“Nobody needs rocket science to know there was something hidden even before the project commenced,” he said.
