EACC Investigating Suspect Companies over Shoddy Work in Kwale County
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission ( EACC) is investigating at least 20 companies previously flagged over corruption dealings.
It has emerged that 18 of the companies whose names are still withheld have worked in neighbouring counties and are notorious for getting tens and hundreds of millions of shillings for work not done.
They are under investigations for receiving suspected illegal payments from the county.
The ongoing investigations involve scrutiny of payments made to the companies in the years 2022, 2023 and 2024.
A staff working in the Procurement Department has revealed that a lot of fictitious payments were made to companies associated to former Governor Salim Mvurya and current governor Fatuma Achani.
Tracing links and public information related to some of the companies, the EACC sleuths believe their is enough evidence that could lead to arrest of senior county officials, company directors and officers who served in the previous regime.
Senior officials including Directors, Chief officers and executives members serving in the current regime are set to be grilled.
This comes at a time when the Controller of Budget is reported to have rejected requisitions from several counties with Kwale among them.
The CoB had been warned through warning letters from disgruntled MCAs against clearing payments to companies reportedly fleecing Kwale County.
This year, the EACC has already arrested and presented to court five officials from the county among them Head of Treasury and his four brothers.
This was in connection with theft of Ksh.44.9 million that was meant for development.
The arrest of Vincent Chirima Mbito, who was the Head of Treasury together with his siblings served as an eye opener to the investigative agency that has been receiving critical information from junior staff MCAs and the public on corruption related dealings at the county.
Other officers Mongo Mbito Mongo who is the County Revenue Officer, Mwaiwe Mongo Mbito the Kwale County Procurement Officer and Chindoro Mongo Mbito the employed in the Ministry of Health’s Department of Public Health and Professional Standards have companies doing shoddy jobs and invoicing the county for dubious payments.
They were also arrested and some of them have been helping in further investigations.
Some of the companies are Garbage Collection firms, Water Companies, General Supplies, Engineering firms and Consultant firms linked to county staff but being run by directors operating as proxies.
In the arrests made in April, it emerged that Rome Investments and Chilongola Limited were paid exaggerated amounts Ksh.44,919,341 and Ksh.4,007,943 respectively. The total amount was distributed to the suspects according to EACC.
EACC explained that the companies were fraudulently awarded contracts for the supply and delivery of sanitation materials, food and ration, general office supplies, and institutional appliances.
The officers under the ongoing investigations have been seeking help from Governor Achani and Mvurya who have been reluctant to intervene.
So far, it is feared that the county has been losing at least Sh 400 million to fake suppliers.
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