This archive report was first published on 19 September 2019.
On September 19, 2019, the State finally put an end to the construction of Kimwarer dam and reviewed the Arror dam design, bringing an end to months of intense debate.
However, cancelling the project was only the first step in addressing the graft-plagued affair. Taxpayers are owed a refund of billions of shillings that had been paid for the non-existent project.
The government had made advance payments of Sh19 billion, including Sh11 billion in unnecessary debt insurance, Sh4.6 billion as loan interest and other costs, which the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji says was shared out in accounts belonging to the conspirators and their agents.
Italian construction company CMC di Ravenna had denied being part of the negotiations that led to payments of Sh19 billion in connection with the Kimwarer and Arror dams scandals.
So, where were the billions of shillings funnelled to? This is the big question hanging over the two huge projects in which the taxpayer was destined to lose a fortune.
The cancellation of Kimwarer project was in response to revelations that it was not backed by a reliable feasibility study ahead of committing the billions.
Top State officials led by suspended Treasury Secretary Henry Rotich have been charged in connection with the loss of billions of shillings in tenders related to the planned dams.
But this is not enough. The crackdown should include the confiscation of assets and businesses acquired via proceeds of crime.
Failure to recover the billions will send a negative signal that officials and business people can get away after dipping their fingers in the cookie jar.
The culprits behind the dams' scandals must be punished and taxpayers' billions recovered.
