This archive report was first published on 30 June 2020.
On June 30, 2020, the Senate concluded its impeachment hearings against Governor Anne Waiguru, finding that her conduct did not rise to the level and threshold to justify the overturning of her election.
However, the hearings revealed a more disturbing truth: the Kirinyaga government's procurement department is a hotbed of corruption, with a tightly knit network controlling all stages of the procurement process.
The corruption ring, which has captured the county government's procurement activities, maintains a tight stranglehold on the office, from planning and writing the budget for procurement to the award of tenders.
One of the key tactics used by the corruption ring is to ensure that the chairmanship of the tender evaluation committee is always in the hands of a member of the network.
As a seasoned corruption reporter, I have identified several tell-tale signs of a corruption-riven procurement process. One of these signs is the dominance of cronies and appointees of the minister, principal secretary, or governor in tender evaluation committees.
In the Kirinyaga case, it was revealed that a tiny clique sat in nearly all tender evaluation committees, with the director of administration, Pauline Kamau, chairing the most important committees. Kamau is close to Governor Waiguru, and her rise to a position of influence was no accident.
Another sign of corruption is the presence of companies that have been hastily incorporated just months before the tender was floated. These companies often have no internet presence, low turnover, and difficulty producing books of account.
Furthermore, the names of these companies often have no rhyme or reason, suggesting that they are mere special purpose vehicles targeting quick and dirty tenders.
The Senate has directed that corruption in Kirinyaga County's procurement department be investigated, a task that will require investigators with the skills to follow the money trail to nominee accounts, lawyers' client accounts, and property transactions.
