Kimwerer and Arror dam saga has taken a new twist after former President Daniel Moi is linked with the ongoing dam scandal where Ksh160 million was reportedly splashed on 47 cars.
Detectives probing the matter have revealed that Sh160 million of the dams project money was paid to Toyota Kenya for 45 vehicles, including Prados, Toyota Fortuners, Corollas, Hiace vans and pickup trucks.
17 of the vehicles were registered in the name of CMC di Ravenna while another 18 of the vehicles were whisked away to a bonded warehouse on Mombasa Road, Nairobi, owned by logistics firm Mitchell Cotts.
The other 10 were taken from another warehouse at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport owned by Siginon Freight Kenya, a logistics firm associated with the former President.
The DPP has asked Mr Kinoti to investigate the tendering process, as well as the discrepancies in the identities of the parties that bid for the projects and those who won the tenders.
Of the detained vehicles, nine are registered in the name of CMC di Ravenna but detectives insist they are part of the investigations.
But the DCI did not confirm whether the vehicles at the Mitchell Cotts and Siginon warehouses have since been registered or whether the individuals behind their movement have been found.
The government also paid Sh908 million to the Italian government as a commitment fee to ensure that the projects would be seen to the end, and that Kenya would repay the loans taken to finance the construction.
National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich has defended his decision to pay an Italian firm that is at the centre of bribery allegations, a down payment of more than Sh7 billion before it even began work on two dam projects in the Rift Valley.
However, it has been discovered that most of the Sh20.5 billion released went towards paying insurance premiums. Kenya paid a total of Sh11.6 billion in insurance premiums to secure lenders financing the white elephant projects.
Failure by the Italian firm to commence construction of both the Arror and Kimwarer dams, even after receiving Sh7 billion, has raised many questions and divided the Jubilee Party, with allies of Deputy President William Ruto saying the ongoing investigations are a political witch hunt.
Leave a Reply