Revealed: How Samburu County top officials plotted theft of Ksh.2B

The anti-graft czar has revealed how Samburu county officials embezzled public funds amounting to Ksh.2billion.

EACC boss Twalib Mbarak said investigations show gross financial misappropriation and conflict of interest in a racket organised in a systematic pattern.

According to him, county officials registered companies some of which were awarded tenders worth Ksh.700million.

“No works were done, financial investigations reveal that most of the money was withdrawn in cash and shared out among various county officials,” a statement from Mbarak reads.

“In other cases, contractors were irregularly awarded contracts worth over Ksh.1 billion for works partly or never done after which they paid to top county officials,” it adds.

The commission noted that it acquired evidence of millions of shillings in bribes paid to various county officials by companies that were awarded contracts.

On Wednesday morning, detectives raided the homes of the Governor in Nairobi’s plush Karen estate and in Samburu.

County Chief Officers among them his PA Simon Etiene Lelesit, Speaker Solomon Lempere, various CECs as well as contractors also had their homes raided.

Meanwhile, Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal is at this hour being grilled at the EACC headquarters.

The commission now says that apart from filing for criminal charges on the suspects, they will be seeking freezing and forfeiture of the assets in a bid to recover lost public funds.

In November last year, the Senate revealed that eight counties, Samburu included, had failed to account for public funds.

Lenolkulal now joins the list of Governors who have been linked to alleged corruption cases in their counties.

Some of them include Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and ex Governors Waithaka Mwangi of Nyandarua and Evans Kidero of Nairobi.