Sonko, Kavuludi surprise inclusions in Uhuru dossier

Politics and policy

From left: Mr Johnston Kavuludi, Chairman National Police Service Commission; Mr Mike Mbuvi Sonko, Senator Nairobi County; and Mr Chirau Ali Mwakwere, High Commissioner to Tanzania. PHOTOS | FILE  

By EDWIN MUTAI, emutai@ke.nationmedia.com

In Summary

• Mike Sonko, Johnston Kavuludi and Chirau Ali Mwakwere are among the 175 people named in investigation reports being handled by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

Details of economic crimes allegedly committed by the 175 State officers under pressure since Thursday to vacate their offices were Tuesday revealed as Parliament made public the dossier that President Uhuru Kenyatta left in the House during his State of the Nation address.

The senior public officials, including Cabinet secretaries, principal secretaries, governors and Members of Parliament are accused of looting public coffers, conspiring with private firms to inflate prices of public goods, illegal transfer of land and the rigging of government tenders in favour of associates.  

Mr Kenyatta’s dossier also demonstrates that corruption has permeated nearly every facet of the Kenyan society, including the courts, independent commissions, the national executive, county governments and State-owned companies leading to the loss of an estimated Sh50 billion.

The suspected perpetrators are linked to mega corruption scandals, including the multi-billion-shilling Anglo Leasing, the
procurement of electoral materials, award of Sh327 billion tender for construction of the standard gauge railway, the Sh2.8 billion confidential expenditure by the Office of the President and the Judiciary’s spending.

Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki and his National Assembly counterpart Aden Duale respectively tabled three reports that Mr Kenyatta gave National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, effectively unmasking the faces behind the alleged crimes.

A corruption dossier, annexed to the reports on National Values, was made available to senators at a special sitting at 9 a.m. before the same was tabled in the National Assembly at 2.30 p.m.

Five Cabinet secretaries, three principal secretaries, the Deputy President’s chief of Staff, 12 governors, the National Police Service Commission chairman, 20 parastatal chiefs, 64 MPs, two senators and several judiciary officers are named in the report that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) prepared for Mr Kenyatta.

Tuesday’s tabling of the report also revealed surprise names that had until Tuesday not appeared in media reports of the dossier.

The list includes former Cabinet minister Chirau Mwakwere (now Kenya’s high commissioner to Tanzania), Nairobi Senator Mike Mbuvi Sonko and Kenya Football Federation (KFF) chairman Sam Nyamweya.

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Cabinet secretaries Charity Ngilu (Land), Felix Koskei (Agriculture), Davis Chirchir (Energy), Michael Kamau (Transport) and Kazungu Kambi (Labour) have since heeded President Kenyatta’s directive to “step aside” pending conclusion of investigations into their alleged involvement in corruption.

The ministers and principal secretaries Nduva Muli (Transport), Mutea Iringo (Defence) and Secretary to the Cabinet Francis Kimemia are accused of influencing the award of lucrative government contracts and abuse of office.

National Police Service Commission chairman Johnston Kavuludi is accused of misappropriating funds, failing to account for funds taken for trips abroad and abuse of office.

The report also shows that the EACC is investigating the Kenya National Audit Office for “defrauding the World Bank in a Sh100 million deal paid in advance for the purchase of an audit vault.

Senator James Orengo (Siaya) is under investigations on claims of disposing of public land in Nairobi irregularly in collusion with former Nairobi Mayor George Aladwa while Jonstone Muthama, the Machakos senator, is named in connection with procurement of the Konza Technopolis land.