Five senior County officials arrested in EACC anti-graft dragnet

 

The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission has arrested five suspects in connection with graft at the Isiolo County government.

The five were arrested early Wednesday morning and detained at the Isiolo EACC offices for processing as the commission spread its tentacles targeting a total of thirteen suspects wanted for corruption offences relating to a 58,560,000 shillings procurement fraud.

Those arrested in the operation include former Chief Officer Finance Peter Ngechu Muhuha, Former Chief Officer Public Works, Housing & Urban Develepment Adano Salad Kadubo , former head of Treasury Abdinassir Ali, Jibril Hassan and Augustine Kariuki Gatebu who are both accountants.

The alleged offence relates to a tender for the supply and delivery of a fire engine said to have been corruptly awarded to Drescoll Limited in the Financial Year 2018/2019.

EACC investigations established that the suspects engaged in a flawed procurement process designed to fraudulently award a tender for the supply and delivery of a fire engine to Drescoll Limited worth 58.560,000.

The said contractor is at the centre of a related investigation at the Marsabit County Government involving a 62,000,000 shillings tender for similar supply and delivery of a fire engine.

The suspects were processed at EACC Isiolo regional offices before they were transferred to Isiolo Central Police Station pending arraignment in court tomorrow. One of the suspects, Adano Salad Kadubo was processed at the EACC Integrity Centre Police Station.

According to EACC Director of Legal Services David Too, the suspects will be arraigned before the Isiolo Anti-Corruption Court tomorrow facing charges related to theft of public funds.

EACC has at the same time directed eight other suspects who are yet to be arrested to immediately report to EACC Isiolo regional office or to the nearest EACC office.

Those on the EACC radar include Yusuf Mohammed Galgalo a former Chief Officer, Finance, former Chief Finance Officer Qanchora Roba  , former Head of Supply Chain Management Dr. Salad Kikuyu Sarite, former Isiolo County legal advisor Linus Gichunge Thuranira  and  John Thuranira Nkuraru  a Supply Chain Management Assistant.

Others are  Ali Godana Wako, a former town administrator,  Kennedy Macharia Murimi a transport officer and Bashir Hassan Abey Mamo the Director of Drescoll Limited.

By Nicholas Kigondu