This archive report was first published on 18 December 2019.
On December 18, 2019, the High Court in Mombasa dealt a blow to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Dr. Daniel Manduku's bid to avoid arrest.
High Court Judge Erick Ogola declined to stop Manduku's arrest and prosecution over alleged graft, dismissing his claim that Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti had overstepped his mandate by probing the Ksh.1.4B concrete barrier contract.
According to the ruling, Manduku can still be arrested if the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) decides to do so.
Through his legal team, led by Senior Counsel James Orengo, Manduku accused DCI Kinoti of conducting malicious, illegal, discriminatory, and selective investigations against him and senior port officials over the execution of projects authorized by the Cabinet.
The DCI had listed 22 possible charges against Manduku and other senior port managers over alleged irregularities in projects, including the tender for manufacture of 17,940 pieces of concrete slab barriers without an approved budget from the National Treasury.
He was also cited for alleged loss of public funds in the rehabilitation of Kisumu Port.
However, Manduku was granted a temporary reprieve when he was allowed a Ksh.500,000 anticipatory bail, with the Judge ordering law enforcers to apprehend him with decorum.
