This archive report was first published on 1 September 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's war on corruption has intensified, with the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) in Mombasa now under scrutiny. The agency is facing allegations of graft in a Sh1.7 billion tender for a boat, with a state officer and a politician at the center of the scandal.
According to sources at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), investigations into the matter are at an advanced stage, and some top managers at the port could be forced to step aside this week.
On Monday, President Kenyatta addressed senior port officials implicated in the Sh40 billion Kipevu Oil Terminal scandal, warning them not to seek his help when anti-corruption sleuths come for them.
“There are people who have committed themselves to fighting corruption as a matter of life and death. Please, do not say it was me. I have not sent anyone to steal. Those guys are not playing,” he said.
The Sh1.7 billion tender for building a boat has sparked controversy, with doubts raised about the companies fronted by the state officer and the politician meeting the tender requirements.
Both the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and DCI are separately investigating KPA over the matter, with DCI boss George Kinoti setting his eyes on 10 current and former KPA managers in corruption-related probes.
“We are investigating a number of issues at the port. Once the probe is completed we will effect arrests,” said Kinoti without giving further details.
