Winstone Chiseremi @Wchiseremi
Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA) acting Managing Director Francis Kipkech was yesterday arrested, in connection with the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal, while chairing a meeting.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters pounced on Kipkech, David Onyango (planning manager) and Charity Muui (deputy procurement officer) and took them to an Eldoret police station where they were locked up in cells.
Nine senior officials of the regional authority who are on the DCI’s radar fled on foot to evade arrest as members of the public watched the unfolding morning drama from a distance.
Kipkech was holding a staff meeting on the 14th floor of the regional authority’s building in Eldoret town in the wake of an order by the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji for the arrest of senior government officials linked to the Sh65 billion scandal.
No sooner had he started chairing the meeting than a team of DCI officers stormed the boardroom and announced his arrest and that of senior officials linked to the scam.
Kipkech and the two officials were led to the police station under tight security and ushered into the DCI office before being taken to a cell ahead of their transfer to Nairobi to face charges in connection with the stalled projects in Elgeyo Marakwet county.
Nine at large
A senior DCI officer, who declined to be named, confirmed that they were holding three officials.
“We have effected arrest order of three senior KVDA officials over the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal while nine others are still at large,” he said.
Nine officials fled from the boardroom just a few minutes before the detectives stormed in, leaving behind the acting MD, planning manager and deputy procurement officer.
The DCI officer said that they were hunting for the escapees.
Business ground to a halt at the KVDA building at the town centre with staff streaming to the Central Police Station to establish the fate of their senior managers.
The officer said that they were hunting for the escapees.
In his arrest order yesterday, Haji said KVDA failed to comply with the principle of fairness and value for money in awarding the contract to CMC di Ravenna.
“They awarded the contract while aware that CMC di Ravenna was straining financially in Italy,” he said.
Haji said the officials broke the public finance management law and flouted procurement rules. He said he had gathered sufficient evidence to prosecute the officials.
“The persons we are prosecuting were mandated to safeguard public interest but failed,” he said.
