Murathe, Atwoli questioned by EACC sleuths over Jirongo cash
COTU secretary Francis Atwoli and former Jubilee vice chairperson David Murathe have defended former Lugari Member of Parliament Cyrus Jirongo’s deposit of more than Sh86 million in their accounts, claiming he was settling his debts.
According to Atwoli and Murathe, who both appeared at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) headquarters, Jirongo owed them money stating that after Jirongo sold a piece of land, he proceeded to pay back what they had lent him.
It has been said that after Jirongo sold land to the Nairobi City government, Murathe acknowledged receiving Sh25 million as partial payment for the money owed to him.
According to documents submitted to the anti-graft agency, the Jirongo land transaction began when his businesses obtained financing from the defunct Postbank Credit to carry out projects assigned by the Kanu government.
He reached a consent in which he would be compensated for the land and sued the Nairobi City government for trespassing on his property.
Murathe spent more than two hours in the anti-graft agency’s offices before leaving and claiming he had no idea why the EACC was taking him through a widely reported investigation.
The politician claimed in a statement that EACC had contacted him to provide an explanation for a Sh25 million payment made to him around July 23, 2020, by way of a law firm on behalf of Jirongo’s Kuza Farms Limited.
Murathe confirmed receiving the funds around July 23, 2020, in two installments totaling to Sh18 million and Sh7 million.
AEF Reuben Primary School, a dispensary, and a police station are all based on land that Kuza Farms purchased for Sh250 million from Nairobi City county.
EACC called Murathe who was among President William Ruto’s fiercest critic.
“We consider this as a publicized inquiry founded on malicious grounds. If not, who invited you here?” he said while addressing reporters.
According to EACC spokesman Yassin Umaro, Jirongo was scheduled to appear before EACC but his lawyers protested, claiming that he did not want to take part in the statement-writing process in the “drama” of the media spotlight.
The lawyers told EACC that their client will only make statements going forward in the privacy and security of either his office at Westlands or his attorney’s office.
The lawyers informed EACC that they were shocked to find a group of reporters waiting outside their entrance with cameras, microphones, and other equipment.
“They obviously came at your request in order to cover this as a news story,” they said.
He stated that it was done in bad faith and in violation of his right to privacy.
The sums received, according to Murathe, were part of a debt that Jirongo, the managing director of Kuza Farms and Allied, owed to him.
