This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
On December 8, 2019, investigations into the Ksh 29 Billion dams scandal took a new twist with three Cabinet Secretaries listed among senior government officials who will be questioned in a bid to unravel the truth.
Water Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui has already undergone the first round of questioning, while Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri and Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa are expected to shed more light on the saga.
Chelugui's docket scandal squarely falls under the project that saw taxpayers get a raw deal in one of the most shameful scandals in President Uhuru Kenyatta's second term.
Former Treasury CS Henry Rotich, his principal secretary Kamau Thugge, and Water PS Joseph Irungu are also expected to provide more information on the scam.
According to investigators, the Itare Dam faced numerous challenges, including compensation issues, flawed procurement processes, and court cases before CC di Rivenna that led to the tender being closed due to bankruptcy.
Lamu West MP Stanley Muthama, a director of Stansha, was arrested in July and charged with tax evasion amounting to Sh400 million.
He is alleged to have earned more than Ksh 300 Million from the scandal, with the cash believed to be kickbacks given to the MP for assisting CMC Di Ravenna to clinch the contract.
Investigations suggest that such kickbacks could be part of the reason CMC Di Ravenna was paid colossal amounts of money in advance for the Itare Dam, even when it was clear that the company was facing difficulties in completing the Kimwarer and Arror projects, which have since collapsed.
At the time it clinched the Itare Dam deal, CMC di Ravenna was categorised by Standard & Poor's as 'CC', meaning it was highly vulnerable.
