What Chris Okemo appointment says of Jubilee stand on corruption

The appointment of Chris Okemo as a board member of the Kenya Seed Company has been termed a mockery of the fight against corruption in Kenya.

Mr Okemo was appointed to the board of the parastatal two weeks ago in what is seen as an attempt by Jubilee government to win the hearts and minds of western Kenyan voters in readiness for 2017 General Election.

Mr Okemo is wanted in Jersey, UK, for allegedly defrauding the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) Sh900 million and laundering the money in Jersey.

Together with former KPLC managing director Samuel Gichuru, they have, for the last three years, contested the Island of Jersey’s extradition orders at the High Court in Nairobi.

Former Ethics and Governance Permanent Secretary John Githongo says that Mr Okemo’s appointment was an insult to “all Kenyans fighting corruption”.

He wondered how the government can appoint a man with an international warrant of arrest.

“The appointment is a mockery to all Kenyans in their efforts to fight corruption. It is an insult to the people of Kenya to appoint a man who has an international warrant of arrest. The gentleman can’t even travel. Where can he go? This is just impunity and an insult to Kenyans,” says Mr Githongo.

'SCANDALOUS'

International Centre for Policy and Conflict (ICPC) Director Ndung’u Wainaina termed the move by President Uhuru Kenyatta to appoint Mr Okemo scandalous.

“His appointment is such a scandalous and huge public disappointment. It confirms the contradictions of the Uhuru Kenyatta presidency. Broad statements of the value of integrity, transparency, accountability and ethics gain general agreement from all sides of politics and public debate,” says Mr Wainaina.

Mr Wainaina argues that government’s integrity demands more than issuing executive orders.

“It demands more than general expressions of goodwill. Enhancing transparency and accountability requires supportive structures and cultivating ethical behaviour needs more than simple, sweeping statements of expectations. Integrity in government and in politics is more than simply a declaration of the importance of individuals behaving ethically,” says Mr Wainaina.

In Jersey, the two are wanted for false declarations, fraud and money laundering. The court documents state that they misled auditors of Wartsila that Windward Trading was receiving consultation fees.

“The charges were in fact inflated to meet or recover the cost of making corrupt payments to his Jersey company, Windward Ltd,” state the court documents.

The warrants say that Okemo opened bank accounts in Jersey under his name and Arus Management service where the funds were deposited between August 1, 2000 and August 3, 2001. 

The two individuals were summoned to the Island of Jersey court on April 20, 2011 and subsequently on May 5, 2011 but failed to show up. They are wanted on 53 counts of money laundering and fraud.

The funds were allegedly paid as commissions to Mr Gichuru and Mr Okemo who were powerful individuals in former President Moi’s government.

Mr Okemo was Energy minister from 1999 to 2001 and then Finance minister from 2001 to 2003 while Mr Gichuru was KPLC managing director from 1983 to 2003.

According to court documents the volume and value of payments to Windward increased dramatically from January 1997. The accounts were frozen.

“The evidence proves that Gichuru’s method of committing the offence involved inflation of the contract price. Okemo and Gichuru conspired together to enable Okemo receive into his bank account in Jersey, property, namely, funds credited to the said bank account following transfers from Windward Trading and Arus Management Services, knowing the same have been acquired by Samuel Gichuru by conduct outside Jersey which, had it occurred in Jersey, would have amounted to an offence, namely misconduct in public office and fraud” state the court documents.

Last week, KNCHR called on Mr Kenyatta to revoke Mr Okemo’s appointment.