Agriculture Principal Secretary Richard Lesiyampe and top National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) managers were arrested on Thursday over irregular purchase of maize by the agency.
The same follows after the Director of Public Prosecution ordered for the investigation into allegations of irregular purchase of maize by officials of the National Cereals and Produce board from Traders.
The National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) has been on the DPP’s radar over Sh1.9 billion paid to traders who supplied the board with huge quantities of maize at the expense of farmers.
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THE DPP’S PRESS STATEMENT ON INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE ALLEGATION OF IRREGULAR PURCHASE OF MAIZE BY OFFICIALS OF THE NATIONAL CEREALS AND PRODUCE BOARD FROM TRADERS pic.twitter.com/dxhIKG0X8v— ODPP_KE (@ODPP_KE) August 30, 2018
Claims from officials are that the 18 traders coincided with the Board’s top management which resulted in the traders receiving payments in the space of a month. NCPB Managing Director Newton Terer resigned in May after Dr Lesiyampe questioned the dealings at the Parastatal.
The matter had been under investigation in the wake of farmers’ complaints of non-payment of Sh1.9 billion for produce delivered to NCPB depots.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives interrogated a number of people in the probe before submitting their recommendation’s file to the DPP. An internal ministry report identified 18 unscrupulous traders, suspected to have links with prominent figures who benefited from the payout.
The arrest adds to a number of high profile government officials cracked down by the Director of Public Prosecution that also included the Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.