How Mungatana link in Sh51m scam has stoked reactions in Kilifi

Former Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) boss Danson Mungatana’s alleged involvement in the theft of Sh51 million from Kilifi County has elicited mixed reactions from leaders and politicians from the coast.

The storm was kicked off after Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi called for the arrest of the former Garsen MP, following revelations by one of the suspects mentioned in the scam that Mr Mungatana was part of the syndicate that stole the millions from the county.

But Mr Mungatana, a Jubilee supporter who is eyeing the Tana River governorship in the August elections, has denied any involvement in the scam, saying he does not even know Lucy Wanjugu Kibogodi, a director of Zohal Services Limited, which was named as beneficiary of the loot.

Ms Kibogodi has claimed Mr Mungatana used her company as a conduit to steal the money.

Kaloleni MP Gunga Mwinga has, however, urged the county government to desist from making conclusive statements and pointing fingers at other politicians while investigations were still under way.

“When we sat as Kilifi leaders after the scandal rocked the county government, we asked Governor Kingi to make sure that those behind the theft of the money face the law. Unfortunately, the governor is rushing into conclusions on personalities, which is very wrong,” he said.

Mr Gunga, the chairman of the Coast Parliamentary Group, also warned assembly Deputy Speaker Teddy Mwambire from associating Mr Mungatana with the Kadu Asili party, insisting that the former MP is not a member of the party.

“I want to tell Mr Mwambire that he should stop associating Mr Mungatana with Kadu Asili because the former Kenya Ports Authority chairman is not a member of our party,” said Mr Gunga.

PARTY TICKET
On Friday, Mr Mwambire, while calling for the arrest of Mr Mungatana over the scandal, said the former Garsen MP is eyeing the Tana River gubernatorial seat on a Kadu Asili ticket.

“Mr Mungatana, who has been mentioned in the scandal, has been criss-crossing Tana River and we know he is seeking the gubernatorial seat on a Kadu Asili ticket,” said Mr Mwambire.

But Mr Gunga, the Kadu Asili party leader, said such sentiments indicated panic in the Orange Democratic Movement in the county.

“They should not panic and start naming people and associating them with parties they see are becoming a threat to them. The matter about Mr Mungatana will come out through [the] court process,” he said.

Halimu Shauri, of Pwani University, said the theft might have been done in collaboration with other highly connected networks and called for proper investigations into it.

“For a politician like Mr Mungatana to be named in such high-profile theft to ever hit the county, thorough investigations need to be done because this might have been a well-coordinated theft,” said Prof Shauri.

He added: “If a proper button is pressed, the mystery about the Sh51 million loss will come out in the open.”

He said it could not have been the work of a single person but a network of people conversant with the Integrated Financial Management Information System (Ifmis).

ARREST MUNGATANA

However, Malindi MCA Kaunda Chokwe called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Mr Mungatana, saying “all criminals in the scandal should face the full force of law.”

“It is absurd to see people defending a criminal due to political biasedness,” he said, adding that “residents of Kilifi demand justice and all culprits in the case should be treated equally as per the law.”

The Sh51 million Kilifi County scandal was first reported on September 29 last year to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) as Sh30 million, said to be involving the health department.

Chief Finance Officer Ben Kai was later summoned and it emerged that the stolen amount was Sh45 million, before he finally verified it as Sh51 million.
OFFICIALS SUSPENDED

On November 11, Governor Kingi suspended 10 senior county officials whose passwords were used to transfer Sh51 million through Ifmis and the Internet Banking Transfer system into the accounts of five private companies.

The suspended officers are Lenox Mwadzoya (roads and transport inspector), Paul Mwazo, (county treasury deputy director), John Kalume, (finance senior accountant) and Josephine Muramba (ducation principal accountant).

Others are Lilian Hariri (health clerical officer), Vivian Sidi Nzai (water accountant), Johnson Nyamawi Gambi (finance senior accountant), Timothy Malingi (health chief officer), Dickson Tembo (agriculture clerical officer) and Jacob Konde (senior health accountant).

On November 25, last year, Mr Kingi sued five companies in a Kilifi court to compel them to return the stolen funds.

On the same date, four directors of Nairobi-based companies — Lucy Wanjugu Kibogo, Sarah Wangui Kamau, Samuel Buku Macharia and Stephen Mutua Ngunzi — were charged in a Kilifi court with fraud but they denied the charge and were released on cash bail of Sh1 million.

Their case is scheduled for a hearing on February 28 this year in Kilifi court.

SUSPECTS CHARGED

On December 8, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the EACC charged 10 suspended officers with fraud and theft, but they failed to appear in court to plead to the charges.

The charge sheet had included acting chief officer for health Baha Nguma, who is still in office, but excluded Lilian Hariri (health clerical officer) and water accountant Vivian Sidi Nzai, also suspended by Mr Kingi.

On December 17, Justice Said Chitembwe issued an order stopping the DPP, the Inspector-General of Police and the EACC from charging eight of the suspended officers. He also quashed the suspensions and reinstated them to their workstations.

On December 29 last year, the same High Court referred all the cases involving the suspended officers to the Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi for directions, following Chief Justice David Maraga's directive.

The case has been set for mention on January 23 in the Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court.

The judge did not transfer the case against the four company directors, who had denied the charges, and it has been slated for mention on January 18 in a Kilifi court.