EACC probes Kilifi officials over theft of public funds
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is investigating several Kilifi county government official accused of siphoning millions of shillings from the devolved unit through corruption.
The anti-graft agency has also rubbished claims by Governor Amason Kingi that it is the stumbling block in the devolved unit’s efforts to recover Sh43.24 million looted in 2016 through dubious tenders.
Instead, EACC said the county government is facing a litany of corruption related investigations, where it is suspected that county officials and dubious tenderpreneurs may have abused the procurement process to facilitate milking of the county treasury.
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Kingi, while appearing before the Senate Committee on County Public Accounts and Investment (CPAIC) on Monday to respond to the 2018-19 audit queries, protested that the commission is erecting unnecessary roadblocks in the county’s attempt to recover millions of shillings wired to unscrupulous companies.
EACC mandate
However, EACC boss Mbarak Twalib said they started investigating suspicious payments of Sh51 million made to fictitious suppliers by county in 2016 as part of their “lawful mandate to investigate corruption and economic crime and to recover assets lost by the County Government of Kilifi through corruption”.
“EACC filed civic suits and obtained injunctions to preserve some of the assets in question pending conclusion of the cases.
The execution of the EACC’s statutory mandate should not be construed to interfere with any remedial action initiated by the County Government of Kilifi to recover what was lost through corruption,” the EACC boss said.
Twalib, apart from the Sh51 million which is pending, there are many investigations being conducted by EACC in connection with the Kilifi county government which are in various stages.
When he appeared before the senate, Kingi had told the watchdog committee hat his administration had filed civil proceedings and even managed to get a judgment to recover the stolen cash, but before they could be issued with a decree, EACC challenged the decision saying the county did not have legal standing to recover the stolen money.
