This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
September 23, 2019
Machakos senator Boniface Kabaka has vowed to expose the dirty dealings at Machakos county government, even as Governor Alfred Mutua failed to honour a senate summons.
The senate public accounts committee, chaired by Homa Bay senator Moses Kajwang, was scheduled to grill Mutua in Kitui last week. However, the governor claimed that senators Wambua and Kabaka had a personal vendetta against him for declaring his intention to contest for the presidency in 2022.
But a close source in Mutua's circles revealed that the governor had panicked over an impending probe by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and had summoned his county executives and top aides for an urgent cabinet meeting via SMS.
According to sources close to the investigations, EACC has been probing the county government's single-sourcing of services without following laid-down procedures towards the end of Mutua's first term. The contracts were hurriedly awarded by chief officers and crooked county executives to raise money for the governor's reelection campaigns.
Companies that won the tenders were quickly paid, even before finalizing works, and later delivered heavy kickbacks to the governor's chief of staff, Mwengi Mutuse. The matter was raised with EACC soon after Mutua's reelection, but the first group of investigators were diverted and bribed to go slow on the probe.
The probe is now being carried out by both the DCI and EACC, which has assured to carry out a thorough investigation on all companies doing works in Machakos county since 2013. The probe will also include county executives who are now swimming in millions after awarding works to ghost companies and facilitating payments.
Companies under probe by EACC include Dannex Construction Company, which is doing dam construction in Mwala at a cost of Sh85 million, and Greenlife Company, owned by a close associate of Mwengi Mutuse.
