Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui has cleared himself of blame regarding the controversy surrounding the Itare dam in Nakuru.
Speaking to the Sunday nation, Chelugui stated that he is not under investigations with regards to the mega water project whose construction has since stalled.
He insisted that he is clean, saying that he came to office when the tender on the construction of the dams in Nakuru had already been awarded to Italian firm CMC Di Ravena.
Chelugui wondered why his name keeps being mentioned on the issue yet by the tender had been awarded two years to his swearing-in which took place in April 2018.
“By the time I joined the ministry in April 2018, the project was already facing challenges. I first visited that site in October 2018 and I don’t know why my name continues to be drawn into this saga,” he said.
He also faulted ongoing claims that he is among the CSs being investigated after their ministries were implicated in graft, noting that he has never been grilled by detectives.
Chelugui said that Cabinet Secretaries are not part of awarding tenders and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) probe on the issue.
“I only read in the papers that I am being investigated. I have not done anything on Itare dam unless (the DCI) wants to investigate the office.
"Again, ministers do not award tenders and unless he is interfering with the process he has a very little role," he added.
This comes at a time when three other CSs have been grilled over graft in their ministries, these being Mwangi Kiunjuri (Agriculture), Najib Balala (Tourism) and Henry Rotich (Treasury).