This archive report was first published on 4 October 2019.
On October 4, 2019, a fire broke out at the Busia county finance office, destroying vital documents and computers. The incident has sparked outrage and raised suspicions of sabotage and corruption.
Top officials from the anti-graft agencies, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), have vowed to bring to book those involved in corruption cases in county governments.
The Busia inferno comes at a time when the EACC was investigating twin corruption cases in which the county had reportedly lost millions of shillings through dubious deals. The firms being investigated include Evam Enterprises Ltd, Draccy Ltd, and Loviannah Ltd.
Similar incidents have been witnessed in other counties, including Homa Bay, where Governor Cyprian Awiti's offices caught fire just as sleuths from the EACC were about to leave with documents and computers related to the alleged loss of Sh5 billion through improprieties of senior county government officials.
Privy sources indicate that Julius Polo, the internal auditor of Homa Bay county, and county secretary Isaiah Ogwe, were involved in the arson attack. Polo allegedly carried Sh5 million in cash from Homa Bay to Kisumu, where he delivered it to the identified arsonists.
The affected staff members have been reporting to the DCI headquarters in Kiambu to record statements over the imprest anomalies. However, there are arguments that the matter should be given civil attention as opposed to a criminal offense.
Understandably, the millions of shillings that disappeared through the imprest payment should be deducted from the respective accounts of those involved and unable to produce supportive documents.
Back to the Busia saga, top officials involved in corruption cases are said to be having busy moments with their respective lawyers to remain alert on any eventuality after the fire incident put the county in sharp focus on the anti-graft agencies.
Two Busia county finance officers were immediately nabbed over the fire that mercilessly razed the county finance office burning crucial files and computers.
At the same time, the anti-graft officials are scratching their heads to figure out how a senior accountant owned three companies by way of proxies and used the same to siphon a whopping Sh56 million from the county treasury between 2015 and 2019.
The officer in question opted for a daring move and engaged his wife and a brother as the directors of the three companies that are now being investigated from the top level of EACC and DPP.
