The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved graft-related charges against former Sports Principal Secretary Amb. Peter Kirimi Kaberia and nine others over the alleged misappropriation of KSh 330 million allocated for Kenya’s preparations to host the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN).
According to a statement from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the suspects include four former government officials and five businessmen. Five companies have also been approved for prosecution in connection with the alleged financial misconduct.
The other individuals are Stephen Njoroge Muthuma, former Senior Principal Finance Officer at the Ministry of Sports; Harun Chebet Komen, former Director of Administration; Enock Ondwari Onditi, former Principal Accountant; and John Kiende Ruga, former Senior Superintendent Engineer.
The five businessmen are Marcos Gonzalez Puente, Samuel Mbaa Njoroge, Kitheka Muema, Anthony Mwangi Kimanthi and Ephrahim Kinyua Muchangi.
The companies named are Auditel Kenya, Taxwise Consulting Limited, Restea Enterprises Limited, Lease Pride Limited and Leasepath Limited.
The charges follow investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), whose inquiry file was submitted to the ODPP for review and guidance. The DPP says an independent assessment of the evidence established sufficient grounds to prosecute the suspects and companies.
The allegations relate to funds released under a contract for the provision of security, access-control, communications, audiovisual and pitch-lighting systems at stadiums ahead of CHAN 2018. EACC had earlier moved to recover the Sh330 million, alleging that the procurement process was irregular and that no work was ultimately delivered under the contract.
The suspects are expected to face charges including abuse of office, unlawful acquisition of public property, failure to comply with procurement laws, acquisition of proceeds of crime and financial misconduct.
APERIT FM, HII NI YETU
