Each and every morning Kenyans wake up to news of corruption and scandals. Then today is not exempted. The uncovering camera digs deep on how the government on-line Portal eCitizen has made few individuals rich.
The Director of Criminal Investigation is keenly looking into the files which involve high-flying Treasury officials and directors of two firms implicated in the Sh5.6 billion eCitizen scandal.
The preliminary information points to a well-choreographed theft scheme by some Treasury officials, well-connected politicians and top KRA officials.
The DCI wants to unravel how the Sh5.6 billion mysteriously disappeared from the eCitizen pay bill account, which was being managed by a local firm allegedly contracted to collect payments from Kenyans seeking government services.
It is understood the money could not be traced after the Court barred Goldrock Capital limited from operating the account that was receiving millions per day from Kenyans applying for various services.
While the DCI will cast a wide net to establish how the billions disappeared ‘into thin air’, detectives would also be keen to find the nexus between top Treasury officials and the firms at the center of the missing cash.
It is not clear how Goldrock Capital Limited, a private firm, allegedly took over the role of the Kenya Revenue Authority by receiving billions of shillings from Kenyans without any approval from the Treasury.
The KRA is the primary agency authorised by law to collect revenue for the government and any other agency would require Parliament’s approval or appointment by the Treasury.
The Treasury has denied authorising the private firm to collect money on behalf of the government.
Most government operations have been centralized and all payments from those seeking state services are channeled through the eCitizen platform.
For instance, application for a three-year driving license renewal costs Sh1,400, while a one-year license goes for Sh600. The NTSA then charges a mandatory Sh50 convenience fee in addition to the renewal charges.
Application for a certificate of good conduct from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations costs Sh1,050 inclusive of charges.
With thousands of Kenyans applying daily for such documents, eCitizen could be collecting millions of shillings per day, making it one of the country’s biggest single-revenue generation platforms.
This will come out as one of the well coordinated theft of the year which people will be demanding answers.
Do you think the perpetrators will go down for this?