Ketraco boss Fernades Barasa stalked by controversy till resignation

Investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) could soon be special guests to the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (Ketraco) over suspected embezzlement of taxpayers money through inflated contracts and fraudulent payments days sudden resignation of immediate former Managing Director Fernandes Barasa, The Informer has established.

According to insiders who revealed the tense situation at Ketraco intimated that Barasa, internal auditors and senior managers from Finance and Supply chain at the Kawi House domiciled parastatal are among those cited as persons of interests.

He resigned a day before he was expected to appear before the Parliament’s Public Investments Committee (PIC) to answer questions over the Sh785 million special audit on the Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project.

Upon assuming office, for the first time in Ketraco’s history, Barasa announced multi-million controversial tender bids for provision of insurance brokerage services for all its substations countrywide three months after the exit of his predecessor Engineer Joel Kiilu.

Ketraco is one of the key parastatals under the Energy ministry-attracting heavy financing from the government and foreign donors majorly Japan and World Bank for mega electricity transmission projects across the country.

Currently, the firm controls an asset base of over Sh72billion.

This comes at a time the firm is entangled in a longstanding compensation deadlock with Kajiado residents over alleged varying compensation for the same pieces of land which has the same land value and assertions that Ketraco is hiving off more land than the one agreed on the agreement by colluding with surveyors.

Locals swore to block any undertaking to use their land as power way-leave until they are adequately reimbursed.

Ketraco offered to pay Kajiado Maasai landowners Sh250, 000 per acre.

Further, residents’ claim Ketraco has already confiscated title deeds and put caveats to the parcels of land in question.

Before compensation, the National land Commission (NLC) must make approval.

The land in question was owned by Olosho-Oibor Water Catchment Area, which Ketraco had to compensate for limiting its usage due to the construction of a transmission line from Suswa to Isinya that requires a 60-metre wayleave.

However, locals claim they were offered compensation at a rate of 40 per cent while Makueni County residents were being given 85 per cent.

After handing over the exit letter, Barasa cleared his office and removed his personal belongings from the office. He has also not been seen at the Ketraco office since then.

He is harbouring political interests to run for the Kakamega gubernatorial gubernatorial seat in August polls.

Pundits privy with the goings on intimated that he is seeking to vie under the Azimio La Umoja Coalition led by Raila Odinga but Raila.

However, he has been overshadowed by Azimio strategists who regard his candidature as “a political baggage.” A source observed.

PIC Chairman Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir questioned Barasa’s resignation, adding that he vacated the office one week before the deadline set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for public servants eyeing elective seats.

“It is a bit wanting that we are being told that he (Barasa) resigned yesterday, just hours before he appeared before the committee,” said Nassir.

Nassir’s sentiments were echoed by Likoni MP Mishi Mboko who wondered whether Barasa was avoiding MPs to escape grilling.

“I don’t know whether he is part of the cartel or not. We are just surprised by his move,” she remarked.

Barasa, whose contract was due to end in April, was summoned together with Kenya Power managers for flouting the law.

Anthony Wamukota, who was last week appointed Ketraco acting Chief Executive, asked the committee for more time to familiarise himself with the responses that Barasa had provided to the committee before resigning.

The electricity transmission company has been blamed for the delays that saw Kenyans pay more cash as a result of idle energy.

At the heart of the probe is to unearth the genesis of the variations and whether Ketraco informed the Energy Ministry on the impact of the variations.

State officials at the ministry ordered the contract changed and the transmission line built by Ketraco.

PS Kihalangwa recently confirmed in a session in Parliament during a meeting with PIC.

“It is true the line was to be done concurrently with the power plant. LTWP was to build the line, but it was removed from the responsibility,” the PS said.

The PS said a transmission line should be built alongside a power station for complementarities.

“The wind power plant and the line were to be completed at the same time to avoid idle power generation,” he said.

The other question MPs want answered was the motivation behind introducing Ketraco into the privately-owned project, whose feasibility report is yet to be traced.

Nassir agreed to give him more time, stating that Barasa’s responses had gaps that needed to be filled.

Wakumota will now appear before the committee on Tuesday next week.

Before his appointment as the acting MD and his subsequent confirmation by former Chairman Kenneth Sigilai, Barasa served as the company’s Chief Manager Financial Services.