Former local government permanent secretary Sammy Kirui. FILE PHOTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A warrant of arrest has been issued
against a former permanent secretary charged with defrauding Nairobi
City Hall of Sh283 million through the inflated purchase of cemetery
land in Mavoko township.
Mr Sammy Kirui, who was
suspended from the then Ministry of Local Government at the height of
investigations into the scandal, skipped an appearance on Tuesday at an
anti-corruption court, prompting the presiding magistrate to issue the
warrant.
He is charged alongside 10 former senior city council officials and lawyers.
Senior
principal magistrate Peter Ndwiga gave police a month to trace and
arrest the former PS and report progress on September 29.
Mr
Kurui now risks his bond of Sh3 million being cancelled and the case
conducted through to determination while he is in custody.
EXECUTE WARRANT
The
magistrate said that “due to the nature of the case, proceedings cannot
be conducted in the absence of the first accused ” and directed the
officer in charge of Kilimani Police Station to execute the warrant.
A prosecutor said she had three witnesses in court for Tuesday’s proceedings and asked for a fresh hearing date.
Another
suspect in the case, lawyer Alphonce Mutinda, who was also absent,
escaped the warrant after a colleague told the court he was aware of the
trial but was held up in a separate case before Justice David Majanja.
Mr Kirui's case revolves around an audit that showed City Hall bought 120 acres of land worth Sh24 million for Sh283,200,000.
Among
the suspects in the case are former legal affairs director Mary Ngethe
and former director of procurement Alexander Musee, who are said to have
been members the tender committee that sanctioned the payment.
They
face various counts of abuse of office relating to their alleged roles
in authorising the payment of Sh283,200,000 to Naen Rech Ltd for the
irregular purchase of the cemetery land.
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