James Oswago held over Sh1.3bn tender

PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI IEBC chief executive officer James Oswago at Integrity Centre in Nairobi on October 29, 2013.  NATION MEDIA GROUP

In Summary
Anti-graft officials told the Nation that the four would be booked at one of the police stations in the city, awaiting charges in court on Wednesda
The Sunday Nation reported at the weekend that the officials would be charged with four counts

 By FRED MUKINDA
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Electoral commission chief executive James Oswago was on Tuesday arrested in connection with the procurement of electronic equipment that failed during the March 4 General Election.
Also seized by anti-corruption detectives was his deputy in charge of Support Services at the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Mr Wilson Shollei.

The two were arrested in Naivasha and taken to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) headquarters at Integrity Centre in Nairobi.

The arrest followed months of investigations into procurement.

IEBC’s finance director Edward Kenga Karisa and procurement manager Willy Kamanga were arrested in the city and taken to the Integrity Centre.

Anti-graft officials told the Nation that the four would be booked at one of the police stations in the city, awaiting charges in court on Wednesday. (READ: Agency: It was right to raid Oswago house)

MANUAL POLL RESULTS

At Integrity Centre, the four had their fingerprints taken and formally informed that they were under arrest and the offences facing them disclosed. The EACC has been investigating the procurement of Sh1.3 billion electronic gadgets that failed during the election, forcing the returning officers across the country to relay the poll results manually.

The Sunday Nation reported at the weekend that the officials would be charged with four counts relating to failure to comply with procurement laws and abuse of office, and cited a draft charge sheet.

The arrests come after Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko gave the greenlight to prosecute them after studying investigation files compiled against them.

The charges relate to the tender to procure the electronic voter identification devices, which was awarded to a private company — Face Technologies.

The Supreme Court recommended the prosecution of IEBC officials when it ruled in the petition filed by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord), challenging the election of President Kenyatta and his deputy, Mr William Ruto.

The judges said “the failure mainly arose from the misunderstandings and squabbles among IEBC members during the procurement process”.