Masterminds of the multibillion chicken-gate including former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s CEO James Oswago were today morning arrested by EACC detectives.
They will be later today arrigned in court in connection with the scam. Others are Trevy Oyombra who acted for British firm Smith & Ouzman as a local agent, Hamida Ali Kibwana and Kenneth Karani.
They were rounded up at their Nairobi homes at dawn by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission officers.
EACC had exonerated former electoral chairman Issack Hassan from corruption allegations in the Chickengate scandal.
The EACC said it found “evidence of criminal culpability on the part of the four persons in its report to the Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko who agreed with the recommendations.
A British government report sent to the Attorney-General had named commissioners and tender committee members who allegedly received money from Smith and Ouzman to help the firm win a ballot paper printing tender.
In July 2016, EACC recommended the prosecution of Oswago and the three.
DPP Keriako Tobiko said the anti-corruption agency is seeking for the prosecution of alleged middleman Trevor Oyombra, Hamida Ali Kibwana and Kenneth Karani, implicated in the scandal.
The officials are said to have received Sh46 million from a UK company to secure tenders for the procurement of ballot boxes used in the Bomachoge and Shinyalu by-elections and the 2010 referendum.
The money was allegedly paid out by directors of Smith & Ouzman, Christopher Smith and Nicholas Smith, through their local agent Trevor. In December 2014, a London court found Christopher and Nicholas guilty of bribing Kenyan electoral officials to secure tenders.
