Evans Kidero became the latest high profile leader to be arrested by EACC officials, as the body tries to crack down on run away corruption.
Kidero was arrested by anti-corruption detectives on Wednesday and is set to be charged in court for abuse of office, money laundering, bribery, conflict of interest and failure to protect public property. He is the third governor to be arrested following the arrest of Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and former Nyandarua governor Waithaka Mwangi.
But we can exclusively reveal that more than 30 former and current governors are set to face corruption charges as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) embarks on reviving all stalled cases.
Last month alone, EACC reopened more than 35 files relating to corruption and abuse of office after the affected governors rushed to court and secured injunctions, effectively stalling the cases.
The latest move heralds a new chapter in the fight against graft in the devolved units.
The arrest of the three leaders has thrown several of their colleagues into panic, prompting the governors’ umbrella body, the Council of Governors (CoG), to demand that the county government bosses be accorded immunity against prosecution while in office.
Mr Waithaka was in July charged in a Nakuru anti-corruption court with “willful failure to comply with the law relating to the procurement, contrary to Section 48 of the Economic Crimes Act, 2003”.
Mr Ojaamong has been accused of engaging a company known as Madam R Enterprise to conduct a feasibility study on waste management which the county government had not budgeted for.
In the process, the county government lost Sh8 million. Mr Ojaamong and his co-accused allegedly committed the offences between March 15 and September 25, 2014.
They faced other charges including willful failure to comply with the law relating to management of public funds and fraudulent acquisition of public property.
Other sitting and former governors likely to be on EACC’s radar include Dr Alfred Mutua, Dr Evans Kidero, Mwangi wa Iria, Samuel Ragwa, Godana Doyo, Nathif Jama, Nyaga Wambora, Okoth Obado and Cyprian Awiti.
In January, sleuths from EACC raided two homes of Mr Ragwa in Tharaka-Nithi County and carted away documents they believe could give them useful leads in graft cases during his tenure.
There were similar raids at the home of former Isiolo governor Godana Doyo in March last year as the commission sought documents relating to a Sh271 million road project which was never started.
Two years earlier, Mr Doyo had been arraigned in court and charged with economic crimes and abuse of office before Meru Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochieng.
In 2015, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua was dragged to court over claims of single-sourcing and overpricing 14 vehicles for use by the county executive committee members. At some point, the Appeal Court stopped his imminent arrest.
Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria too has had a case touching on misappropriation of funds pitting him against the EACC.
These are among the cases EACC will be pursuing with more gusto.
Former Garissa governor Nathif Jama has cause to worry too over procurement of ambulances. Also on the spot over procurement of ambulances is former Bomet governor Isaac Ruto.
A source at the commission said Embu Governor Martin Wambora is equally on their radar.
Last year, the commission unsuccessfully sought to have assets belonging to former Nairobi governor Evans Kidero frozen. Other governors whose assets EACC wanted frozen include Migori’s Okoth Obado and wa Iria.
EACC detectives have also camped in Homa Bay County investigating alleged corruption in Mr Awiti’s administration.
EACC chairman Eliud Wabukala and CEO Halakhe Waqo recently told the Senate committee on Justice, Legal Affairs and Human Rights that they had recommended the arrest and prosecution of three sitting governors and one former governor for abuse of office, economic crimes and diversion of public resources.
“These are not the petty corruption files but they are all serious files which have been investigated over the last one or two years. Some of them have been suspended because of court orders but they were lifted. In the days to come more files will be forwarded to DPP which also carry similar weight,” Mr Waqo told the senators.
When contacted yesterday, the Rev Wabukala would not be drawn into details of the planned operation, only saying: “The current energy and enthusiasm to fight graft is a welcome window of opportunity for EACC to spearhead and curtail the menace of corruption in the country.”