Water officials to be charged over tenders
Top Water ministry officials and directors of a private company will be prosecuted over irregular tender awards.
Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobiko wants the suspects charged with conspiracy to defraud the government, violation of procurement regulations and fraudulent acquisition of public property.
Mr Tobiko also upheld recommendations of the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC) that directors of Broad Vision Utilities, Mr Dennis Apaa and Billy Indeche, be charged with forgery and uttering false documents.
He directed KACC to conduct further investigations to determine whether Water Minister Charity Ngilu committed an offence when she commissioned an incomplete borehole at Ndovoini, Machakos. (READ: DPP’s tough test in fraud probe)
KACC had recommended that Mrs Ngilu be taken to court over alleged abuse of office.
The commission, which is being replaced by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, also accused the minister of breach of trust and conspiracy to defraud the government, claiming the borehole ran dry soon after it was commissioned.
But Mrs Ngilu has repeatedly termed the KACC report a witch-hunt and accused the agency of conducting investigations selectively.
“How come they have not gone for all the people who wanted to steal more than Sh600 million from the ministry.
“I read more into these investigations and you (the Nation) know that someone has been looking to smear my name,” she said.
KACC claims that Broad Vision Utilities was registered with a forged letter of recommendation from CiviTech Consultants.
The letterhead was also fake and it was dated November 2002, while Broad Visions was registered in 2008.
CiviTech’s boss, Mr Wilson Nyaga Karinga, told detectives that his firm had never dealt with Broad Vision or worked in Karen/Langata as alleged in the forged letter.
Mr Apaa is married to Tourism Assistant minister Cecily Mbarire while Mr Indeche is Ms Ngilu’s son in-law.
