A section of Nairobi MCAs have written to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and Director of Public Prosecution to stamp authority and help curb the runaway corruption and uncontrolled misuse of public resources.
The MCAs want stern action taken against senior officers who are defrauding the public of their taxes and banking millions of questionable amounts.
The County is battling a number of issues among them mystery of revenue collection, rot at the finance and procurement department and incompetency of senior officers.
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An insider source has intimated to us an agreement amongst MCAs who now want to unleash evidence of massive corruption and impunity at City Hall.
“We have written to EACC and the DPP to swing in action and help City Hall come back to order because it’s now under siege and held captive by cartels who seem untouchable,” the source said.
This comes at the backdrop of an impending impeachment process after Kariobangi North MCA Joel Munuve vowed to start signature collection to impeach the governor over delayed bursary disbursement and incompetency.
Read also: How City Hall Finance Department is Effecting Changes to Stay Safe amidst Corruption Scandals
The county has been struggling to meet its revenue targets with key officers among them Finance Executive Charles Kerich and other county finance officers on the spot.
The escalating graft situation got worse when it was established that some senior officers were chased away by bank over unexplained amount of money they want to deposit against banking regulations.
The officers failed to prove the source of their money and their efforts to have governor Sakaja who was part of the deal to intervene failed.
Detectives are also pursuing similar cases where huge amounts of money are being wired direct to county officials from suspected corruption dealings.
We can ascertain that a contractor by the name Mohammed Ibrahim Siyad who owns rogue and unqualified companies like Buko investments is at the centre of the deal that saw the bank turn away the senior county officers.
Another contractor Hawa Ibrahim with her accomplice Maria, Milbo Lakes Enterprises owned by Millicent Ndinda Ngumbi are also reaping big from dubious payments at City Hall.
The MCAs who have all the details want the EACC and DPP to quickly act on the matter.
The development comes at a time the Director of Criminal Investigations(DCI) Mohamed Amin has publicly questioned how nine other companies were paid millions without proper procedure.
The DCI through the then head of Investigations Bureau at the DCI headquarters David Birech, wrote to Sakaja demanding a list of tender documents, issued to nine companies suspected to have been used to siphon millions from City Hall.
The nine companies are Brigit West Limited, Future Link Limited, AR Pharmaceuticals Limited, Larsen Investment Company, Burasha General Suppliers Limited, Tweem Limited, Cloud Mobile Technologies Limited, Istanbul Investment Limited and Ramecon Engineering Limited.
The DCI is still investigating requisitions by user department, award contracts, delivery and inspection reports and all local purchase orders.
The irate MCAs have also asked the county public service board to share more light on the officers who have been previously been mentioned on various scandals.Some of the officers according to the MCAs are Vivian Mavua, Beth Muthoni, Brian Oyando, Ambrose Musau, Denis Muia the one who does work plans for Controller of Budget processing, Richard Mogoko the head of procurement, Stephen Mafura, Mary Maina, Peter Gitau from procurement, Martha Wambugu among others.
The MCAs also through Kenya County Government Workers Union wants to know the fate of some county officials including Lydia Kwamboka the former county attorney, Josephine Kithi, Tony Kimani and Joshua Kimeu who was the head of procurement.
Another scenario that is being investigated separately is the circumstances under which Harry Mwakasi was redeployed unprocedurally.
The massive corruption at City Hall has become a norm and the EACC is estimating that over 50 officials as for now qualify to stand prosecution.
In August, EACC obtained orders to freeze a city hall employee’s wealth of approximately Sh 643.2 million.
According to the EACC, the Nairobi County Development Control Officer earning about Sh 55,000 monthly, was unable to satisfactorily explain how he was able to raise such riches.
It emerged that the officers suspect fortune was distributed across over 10 bank and M-Pesa accounts, apartments, land, and luxurious vehicles.
EACC suspected the man abused his position at City Hall to acquire such a large fortune.
According to the EACC, they began investigations into the matter in 2016 and were able to obtain orders that allowed them to determine the value of the suspect’s assets.
According to court records, despite the suspect’s humble salary of Sh55,000, the man received and transferred millions through his family’s and own bank accounts between January 2016 and October 2022.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja could face an impeachment motion after a section of MCAs vowed to start collecting signatures.
As of now,the focus is on the MCAs threat to impeach Governor Sakaja.
According to the legislators, the governor has failed to demonstrate capacity to run the city.
They are also accusing him of misusing funds aimed taming environmental pollution,and the influx of cartels at City Hall.
“He is going home if this continues and I am personally going to lead signature collection to impeach him,” Kariobangi North MCA Munuve said.
Korogocho MCA Abisalom Odhiambo alias Matach said Sakaja and his finance officials have only 24 hours to release the funds failure to which they will paralyze operations at City Hall.
Gatina MCA Kennedy Swaka is on record saying Governor Sakaja is taking MCAs for a ride by playing hide and seek games while at the same time promising ‘heaven’.
“The governor is playing ping pong games with our minds and we have to put an end to this,” Swakwa said.
Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai has been vocal and has already dismissed the governor as a big joke.
Alai has observed that Governor Sakaja has no full control of the revenue collection system and that the national government through the National Intelligence Service was allegedly in charge.
“The fact that the governor claims the NIS is collecting revenue is shameless.The governor does not even know who is collecting revenue,” Alai ranted.
He claimed that various departments at the county do not even have printing papers ,operations at Pumwani Hospital are horrible and further laughed off the governor’s decision to change Umoja Level II hospital into a Mama Lucy Hospital Annex.
Alai added that Sakaja’s incompetency makes him worse than former governor Mike Sonko.
“I have never seen such an incompetent guy.Sonko is better a million times,”
Interestingly the ad-hoc committee that was established in September 2023 to look into the Revenue Collection System in Nairobi has already poked holes into the revenue system.
The committee has announced its going to begin its sittings on December 13th.
The ad hoc committee had already declared the current status of revenue as below par and would duel more on establishing possible revenue diversion in its sessions.
Imwatok has already declared the state of revenue collection in Nairobi as one shrouded in secrecy.
He criticized the governor for praising the collection of Sh10 billion in the last financial year,stating that the county should be collecting more than Sh.18billion as of now.
The impeachment threats come at a time several county officials have been on the radar of investigative agencies over corruption dealings.
The procurement department has been under sharp criticism from suppliers and contractors over bribery and irregular tender awards.
MCAs are also poised to probe possible hiring of unqualified persons working as accountants at the county.
Some media reports have also unmasked how interns are being used by seasoned staff to loot millions of taxpayer’s money as well as take bribes from unsuspecting contractors and suppliers.
