EACC obtains order to investigate bank accounts of companies said to have received Kilifi funds

The anti-graft agency has obtained orders to investigate bank accounts of two Nairobi-based companies said to be among five that received more than Sh51 million from Kilifi County coffers.

Malindi principal magistrate Silvia Wewa issued the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission with orders to investigate, inspect and obtain bank statements of Makegra Supplies Ltd and Zohali Construction and General Services Ltd.

She also allowed the EACC to investigate bank accounts of one of the directors of Zohali, Ms Lucy Wanjugu Kibogo.

In a sworn affidavit, Mr Kofa Komara, an EACC investigating officer from Malindi, told the court that he was investigating Makegra supplies which received Sh10.36 million from Kilifi.

He added that he wished to investigate Zohali construction which allegedly received Sh9.23 million from Kilifi County.

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the county government has never traded with Makegra Supplies Ltd and Zohali Construction and General Services Ltd,” said Mr Komara.

On Ms Kibogo, the EACC officer said that initial investigations had established that money was fraudulently transacted from Zohali into her bank account.

The bank accounts under probe include NIC Bank-Harambee Avenue Branch, Consolidated bank-River Road branch, Jamii Bora Bank-Kiongozi Branch and Barclays Bank-Queensway in Nairobi.

NECESSARY DOCUMENTS

The magistrate said the bank managers should issue EACC with the necessary documents for investigation.

The theft of millions from the Kilifi county government’s bank account into private ones has shocked residents and rocked the region with Governor Amason Kingi suspending 10 senior officers whose passwords are said to have been used to steal the money.

EACC, the Banking Fraud Investigating Unit and a special committee of the County Assembly led by Speaker Jimmy Kahindi have moved to investigate what was a theft of Sh30 million, rising later to Sh45 million and currently Sh51 million.

Mr Kingi further said he would cooperate with the anti-graft commission and other agencies investigating the theft to ensure the thieves are brought to book and the money recovered.

Addressing local ODM delegates on Friday, the governor said he would appear before the EACC at Integrity Centre, Nairobi on Monday.

He had been summoned to appear on Friday but did not do so because he was initiating the process of suing the five companies mentioned in the theft.