Claims came out following the two Rift Valley dams scandal that close to ksh 21 billion had been lost. However, deputy President William Ruto came out arguing that the money in question was only Ksh 7 billion and not the figures that had been alleged earlier.
The Treasury Cabinet secretary Henry Rotich came out later to state that the amount in question is Ksh 20 billion, contradicting the previous figures. This has landed him in trouble, with him appearing at the DCI headquarters four times. However, dectectives investigating the matter could be firming up charges against CS Rotich after they questioned him for the fourth day on Thursday.
The embattled CS is walking a tightrope over the multibillion-shilling Arror and Kamwerer dams scam. He was until late last evening at the DCI headquarters on Kiambu Road.
Earlier in the day, he was reportedly summoned to State House, amid unconfirmed pressure to quit office.
Rotich arrived at the DCI at around 4pm accompanied by lawyer Katwa Kigen. He proceeded to the Serious Crimes Unit, where he was required to clarify some matters arising from his earlier statements.
By the time of going to press, he was still being questioned.
“We called him to clarify some issues, which were not clear to the investigators,” a senior officer familiar with the case was quoted by a local daily.
There was speculation that the CS’s meeting with President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House signaled his intention to step aside before he is formally taken to court.
“We’ll be recommending his prosecution for failure to safeguard public money,” a senior officer who spoke on condition of anonymity told a local daily.
According to the Star, investigators had put emphasis on the Sh21 billion that the Treasury released for the construction of the two dams.
On Tuesday, the CS was grilled on a wide range of issues, including the possibility that the companies awarded the cash would collapse with public funds.
“We sought to know the safety of the public funds now that the company that was to do the job is facing financial problems,” the investigator said.
Also grilled yesterday were senior directors at the Treasury as the DCI closed in on their investigations.
Next week, the DCI plans to summon senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture over the same matter. This emerged as the National Assembly Public Investments Committee questioned top officials of Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA), the two projects’ implementer.
During the stormy session, members raised concerns over how an ongoing audit report leaked before it was completed. The Abdulswamad Nassir-led team wanted the KVDA management to shed light on the authority’s audit queries for the financial year 2016-17. Members held that since the country is focusing on claims of the Sh21 billion loss in the Kimwarer and Arror dams, it would be prudent to study the 2017-18 report.
The two dams, to be built at Sh63 billion are envisioned to end water crises in Elgeyo Marakwet and surrounding counties. They are a subject of investigation.
However, the MPs’ committee did not continue with the investigation as the management said it was yet to respond to a letter on which the final report will be published. Normally, after an audit, the Auditor General is expected to write a management letter to the agency under probe for such entities to file responses.