Echesa took two white men to DP’s office but never met Ruto, DP’s staff testifies

The Sh40 billion fake arm scandal involving former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa yesterday took a new twist after staff attached to Deputy President William Ruto yesterday told the court the events of February 13, last year.

According to a senior security officer Nicholas Maiyo,  Echesa took two white men to the DP’s office before he was arrested over the fake arms deal.

Senior principal magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot was told that the DP was not in his office when Echesa and his delegation came calling.

“The DP was in Karen when Echesa came but the former CS claimed he had an appointment with my boss on the material day,” he said.

Additionally, he said that the white men had a bag when they visited the DP’S office, the security detail took away the bag and mobile phones of the visitors before ushering them into the waiting room.

However, they did not confiscate the former CS’s phones.

“We did not take the CS’s phone as we had told him to call my boss to confirm if he is going to see him at his Karen office or Annex office,” he said.

After they had stayed for around 15 to 20 minutes, Maiyo said that they confirmed from the Karen office that the DP was not coming but rather he would be proceeding to Kandara in Murang’a county for a burial.

He also told the court that he did not see the former CS and his visitors sign any contract relating to the Sh40 billion deal at the DP’s second floor waiting room.

He told the court that Echesa was not accompanied by any officer from the
Department of Defence (DoD) when they visited the DP’s office.

It also emerged that late officer Kipyegon Kenei was on duty that day.

Askar Nyaboke, a senior receptionist at the DP’s office, said Kenei called her from the office line requesting a VIP lift for Echesa and his guests.

“After around 20 minutes or so, I received a call from Sgt Kipyegon Kenei, an officer manning the reception desk in the VIP reception second floor requesting for the lift for Echesa which I did and Kinyanjui went to the lift for the visitors” Nyaboke said.

According to Burkley, at some point Echesa had allegedly inquired the shortest route to Karen and they told him to use Langata.

He then went back to the waiting room to pick the two men before they left.

They later learned that he had been arrested outside the Annex office as he was leaving the premises.

The hearing of the case continues today.