Senior City Hall officials face graft charges for receiving Sh100million in kickbacks
The officers are alleged to have used the loot, which is said to have been wired to county bank account in an apparent bid to hide the money trail, in purchasing motor vehicles
Several officials at City Hall, both former and current, are expected to be charged with corruption and various economic crimes after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) recommended their prosecution to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for allegedly receiving over Ksh 100 million in kickbacks.
In its quarterly report for the last quarter of 2024, EACC says a procurement officer in the Nairobi City County Government received Ksh 40,847,000 as a kickback from 14 companies that traded with the county during the 2017/18 and 2021/22 financial years.
The procurement officer was under probe for allegations of gross financial malfeasance, conflict of interest, and abuse of office.
EACC further reveals that out of these payments, 30 lacked supporting documents, while four were supported by cooked documents.
“The investigations established that NCCG made thirty-six (36) payments totaling Sh414,526,040.45 to fourteen companies over the specified financial years. Thirty-two lacked supporting documents, while the remaining four had payment vouchers containing falsified supporting documents,” EACC states in its report.
It says that the then Chief Officer for Environment and Water, the Director of Supply Chain Management and the head of County treasury together with other county officials who were involved in the fraudulent facilitation got a Ksh 66,867,000 in kickbacks.
The officers are alleged to have used the kickbacks, which are said to have been wired to county bank account in an apparent bid to hide the money trail, in purchasing motor vehicles.
They are accused of facilitating these fraudulent payments to the companies.
EACC says it established that after the payments were made, kickbacks totaling Ksh 66,867,000 were made to the procurement officer and other public officers involved in the procurement and payment process.
EACC forwarded the DPP recommending that the senior officers, together with other officials and the companies involved in the fraudulent payments be charged.
They recommended that the officers be charged with five counts of fraudulently making payments from public revenue contrary to section 45(2) (a) (ii) as read with Section 48(1) of Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes (ACECA)
EACC also recommended they be charged with 10 counts of fraudulent acquisition of public property contrary to Section 45(1)(a) as read with Section 48(1) of ACECA as well as three counts of dealing with suspect property contrary to Section 47 (2)(a) as read with Section 48(1) of ACECA.
The Commission also recommended that the county officials together with the 14 companies be charged with money laundering contrary to Section 3 of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act (POCAMLA).
“The Commission recommends that the Chief Officer Environment, Procurement officer, and other public officials, as well as the companies that received the fraudulent payments from NCCG and the directors thereof be charged with five counts of fraudulently making payments from public revenue contrary to section 45(2) (a) (ii) as read with Section 48(1) of ACECA, ten counts of fraudulent acquisition of public property contrary to Section 45(1)(a) as read with Section 48(1) of ACECA, three counts of dealing with suspect property contrary to Section 47 (2)(a) as read with Section 48(1) of ACECA and money laundering contrary to Section 3 of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act (POCAMLA),” EACC told the DPP in their recommendation.
