The Bomas of Kenya General Manager Peter Gitaa Koria and National Industrial Training Authority (NITA) Director General Stephen Ogenga are among six parastatal chiefs and 67 senior officials sacked by the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei for presiding over alleged wanton graft in their respective dockets.
Their dismissals effected through the Cabinet Secretaries under whose respective dosckets are domiciled follows recommendations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Eacc).
Earlier, The Informer Media Group unearthed procurement irregularities amounting to over Sh500million at Bomas of Kenya and irregular appointments of officials as well as tendering malpractices involving at least ten companies owned by NITA officials or their proxies drawn from the Accounts, Finance, Procurement and the Cash Office Departments respectively.
According to documents seen by The Informer Media Group, the said companies received multiple payments in at least five different tranches ranging from Sh200,000 to Sh900,000 from NITA.
Yesterday, among other Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) sent packing include Engineer Fredrick Mwamati of Tanathi Water Works Development Agency, Stanvas Ong’alo (Acting DG, National Museums of Kenya), Benjamin Kai Chilumo (CEO, Huduma Centre Secretariat) and Eng. Anthony Wamukota (GM, Design and Construction, KETRACO).
The directives follow recommendations by Eacc for the suspension of the officers, who are currently under investigation.
Mwamati is currently under investigation for suspected procurement irregularities related to the tender award for the construction of a Leather Industrial Park Water Supply Project, while Ogenga is being probed for alleged procurement irregularities concerning a tender award for supplies at NITA.
In April this year, then 36-year-old June Jerop Kangogo was found murdered and her badly deformed body dumped in Jamhuri estate in Nairobi in what detectives linked the murder most-foul to her place of work.
Jerop was until her death an accountant at NITA, in charge of the vote account, a powerful section in the accounts department.
On the other hand, Ong’alo of the national Museums of Kenya is under investigation for involvement in alleged misappropriation of Sh490 million through irregular payments, whereas Chilumo is facing corruption allegations from his tenure as the Chief Finance Officer in the county government of Kilifi.
Gitaa is being probed for irregularly procuring supplies at the Bomas of Kenya, while Wamukota is being investigated over procurement irregularities related to the construction contract of the 400KV Loiyangalani Power Project.
The KeRRA accountant, Esther Wanjiru Chege, on the other hand, is being probed over alleged conflict of interest and possession of unexplained wealth.
“In these letters, the EACC states that the continued stay in office of the mentioned officers during the investigation will interfere with and undermine its work.” Koskei said in a quick dispatch to newsrooms yesterday evening.
