Kimwarer, Arror Dams scandal: CMC Di Ravenna directors ordered to appear in court

The High Court in Nairobi on Wednesday ordered directors of Italian firm CMC Di Ravenna to appear in court and take plea over the Kimwarer and Arror Dams scandal.

Issuing the orders, Justice Mumbi Ngugi said the decision by the firm’s lawyer to take plea on behalf of the company was not right.

According to the prosecution, Kenyan officials implicated in the dams scandal awarded CMC Di Ravenna a contract for construction of the two dams despite the firm having successfully filed for bankruptcy proceedings back in Italy.

The cost of building the two dams in also said to have been inflated to Ksh. 63 billion from an original cost of Ksh. 46 billion.

The government made advance payments of Ksh.19 billion. This included Ksh. 11billion in unnecessary debt insurance, which prosecutors said was shared out in accounts belonging to the conspirators and their agents.

CMC di Ravenna has denied any links to those arrangements.

Kenya was expected to seek the extradition of one of the company’s directors to face charges in Nairobi.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, his Principal Secretary Kamau Thugge and 10 other officials have since been charged over the multibillion-shilling Kimwarer and Arror dams scandal.