EACC detectives arrest two Kilifi County officials
Samule Kombe Ngari and Samuel Maneno being escorted by EACC detectives in Malindi offices on April 25, 2019
BY COAST CORRESPONDENT
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives have arrested two Kilifi County officials over graft charges of paying monies to a phantom water project.
The duo were apprehended by EACC detectives attached at the North Coast offices in Malindi for allegedly engaging in irregular procurement and embezzlement of public funds in the tendering of Kadzandani-Adu-Kamale water project in Kilifi County.
The detectives raided various offices and homes of the arrested Department of Water chief officer Samuel Kombe Ngari and monitoring and evaluation officer Samuel Maneno Hatibu during morning hours.
REPORTS
Addressing journalists in his office North Coast on Thursday (April 25), the EACC manager Gichangi Njeru said they had received reports that County government officials had irregularly awarded a tender for construction of water project.
The awarding was done on the 13th June 2016 to Geotech Constructors Limited at a cost of Sh36.3 million for the construction of Kadzandani-Adu-Kamale water project.
“We have arrested the suspects after our commission established that the supporting documents that had been submitted by the winning bidder Geotech Contractors Limited were all forged documents,” he said.
IRREGULAR PAYMENTS
According to him the commission also established that Sh22.3 million had been irregularly paid for services not adequately rendered.
He also said that the DPP has concurred with the commission’s recommendations to charge the directors of Geotech Contractors Limited Serah Musyimi and Charity Musyimi both running the private company.
“We are hunting for these directors after the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Noordin Haji preferred charges on them,” he added.
The EACC manager said the charges preferred against the County officials include fraudulent practice in procurement proceedings, fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering false documents and making documents without authority.
The two suspects will be arraigned in court tomorrow (April 26).
