Former ICT PS to be charged over Ksh.2.5B advertising scandal

Former ICT Principal Secretary Sammy Ishiundu Itemere and two other officials are set to be arraigned in court on Monday over the Ksh.2.5 billion Government Advertising Agency (GAA) scam.

The former PS was arrested on Sunday evening joining Lugari Member of Parliament Ayub Savula and former Director of the Government Advertising Agency Dennis Chebitwey who were arrested on Friday and Saturday respectively over the same scandal.

Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji earlier approved the prosecution of 22 suspects implicated in the Ksh.2.5 billion scandal.

Sources at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) told Citizen TV that they are hunting down at least 19 suspects the DPP has recommended for prosecution.

But according to the DCI, the suspects have switched off their mobile phones to stop police from tracking them.

Detectives suspect that the 19 individuals could be hiding in their lawyers offices to avoid the arrest.

The police, however, say that they will go for the suspects should they fail to avail themselves to the police or to the court.

The three arrested officials are accused of approving fraudulent payments to the targeted persons and companies.

Former PS Itemere will be charged with conspiracy to commit a felony alongside Dennis Kuko, a director at the government advertising agency, MP Savula, Melody Gatwiri Ringera and Hellen Jepkorir, together with 18 other individuals. The PS will also face an additional charge of aiding the commission of a felony alongside Dennis Kuko.

Other charges leveled against Savula and the others include: abuse of office, obtaining money by false pretense and making a document without authority contrary to 357(a) of penal code.

The DCI launched investigations into the scandal after angry media managers petitioned the DPP to look into the failure by agency to pay media houses Ksh.2.5 billion for years.