Mungatana linked to Sh51m Kilifi scandal

A director of one of the companies accused of stealing Sh51 million from the Kilifi County government Central Bank account has, in a sworn affidavit, linked former Garsen MP Danson Mungatana to the scandal.

In her affidavit, Ms Lucy Wanjugu Kibogo, a director of Zohal Services Limited, claims she was approached by Mr Mungatana, who requested her to receive money on his behalf.

The former MP is eying the Tana River gubernatorial seat.

Ms Kibogo claimed that on October 4 last year, an account belonging to her company was credited with Sh5.3 million upon which Mr Mungatana forwarded to her a copy of a document showing the money had been sent by the Kilifi County government.

Ms Kibogo whose affidavit is in relation to a civil case filed by the county government, said she withdrew the money from the account over several days.

“I later forwarded the money in cash to Mr Mungatana, less VAT, and my nominal commission,” says Ms Kibogo in the two page affidavit.

She claims that on October 7 last year, a further Sh3.8 million was credited to the account.

However, she claimed that she was informed by the bank, named in the affidavit, that the money had been recalled by Central Bank of Kenya because of the reasons she was unaware of it that time.

According to Ms Kibogo, on realising that there was a problem with the account between October 19 and November 10 last year, she transferred to the account equivalent of the money she had initially withdrawn in order to remedy the situation.

She further says that she was later summoned to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission in Nairobi on November 22 last year where she recorded her statement with officers from Malindi.

“In the evening of the same day, I was taken to the Banking Fraud Investigations Department offices where I was interrogated, I obliged to co-operate to be a state witness,” she said in her affidavit dated January 12.

ARREST

She said that she was later charged on December 5 last year when she pleaded not guilty.

“I was disappointed by the treatment that I was accorded after I had agreed to cooperate and furnish the name of a person of interest, one Danson Mungatana,”said Ms Kibogo.

When contacted by the Nation Friday over the allegations made against him, Mr Mungatana, a former assistant minister and Kenya Ports Authority chairman said he would respond “appropriately’’ later on getting facts on the matter.

“Thanks for the information, will advise and respond appropriately once I am sufficiently seized of all the facts in the issue,’’ he said in a text message.

Addressing a press conference Friday where he raised the issue and displayed copies of the affidavit, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi called for the arrest of Mr Mungatana, saying he must not walk freely given the nature of allegations made against him in the affidavit.

“We want to see Mr Mungatana arrested and investigations over his involvement commence,” said Governor Kingi.

He was accompanied at the briefing by Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, Rabai MP William Kamoti, deputy speaker Teddy Mwambire and members of the county assembly.

So far, Mr Kingi has suspended 10 senior officers from his government who have been linked to the theft that shook the county last year.

Nine of them who include acting health officer Baha Ngumi who is still in office have been charged and their case has been referred to the corruption court in Nairobi.

Directors of the Nairobi based companies said to have stolen the money have also been charged.