Corrupt government officials could have pocketed Sh4 billions meant for the construction of two major dams in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, top detective George Kinoti has claimed.
According to Mr Kinoti, the money was wired by Treasury CS Henry Rotich to an Italian firm in 2017 but was re-routed to a bank in London before finding its way back to Nairobi.
The Sh4 billion, which is said to have been withdrawn from a bank in Westlands, is part of Sh6.3 billion wired to the construction company as down payment.
“We have the account number the money was sent to in London and Nairobi. We don’t know why the money was being sent to Nairobi and that is part of our investigations,” DCI Director George Kinoti said on Tuesday as reported by the Standard.
“The Italian contractors say they don’t have money because it was taken away. They can’t explain, yet we are servicing a loan as a country. This is sad and merciless,” he told Standard.
Detectives want to find out the reason the money found its way back to Kenya in their ongoing investigations into the stalled Sh63 billion Kimwarer and Arror dam projects in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The Sh6.3 billion was reportedly for mobilisation of resources to enable Italian firm, CMC di Ravenna, start the projects.
The projects were to be undertaken by Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA), CMC di Ravena and Itinera of Italy.
According to records at KVDA, Arror Dam was to cost Sh38.5 billion while Kimwarer Dam in Keiyo South was to gobble up Sh28 billion.
The latest scandal comes at the time President Uhuru Kenyatta has continued to fire warning shots to his cabinet over graft and several government officials could be in trouble over the same.
With nothing done so far on the ground despite Sh21 billion out of the projected Sh65 billion having been used, Mr Rotich and his Water counterpart Samson Chelugui could be in trouble and the principal secretaries in the two offices.
Uhuru is struggling to stamp authority over the fight against graft and so far, none of his ministers is yet to be fired despite numerical graft scandals that have been reported in the recent past.