Waiguru grilled by EACC over Sh52 million pending bill
Woes of embattled Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru deepened after she was yesterday questioned by the anti-corruption watchdog over a Sh52 million pending bill in her county.
The Ethic and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) were investigating the Sh52.8 million which was allegedly paid by the Kirinyaga County for titling of 17,000 acres in South Ngariama which initially had been entrusted to the Kirinyaga County Council in 1965 before being taken over by the County.
In a statement, Waiguru claimed that the summons was intimidations and witch-hunt.
“It is intimidation and witch hunt but we are focused. They are asking why the executive discussed the matter,” she said.
The Kirinyaga Governor said that no cent out of the Sh50 million owed to the surveyor had been paid yet.
“The contract sum was Sh74 million, of which the County Council of Kirinyaga only paid Sh21 million, leaving an unpaid balance of Sh52 million,” she said.
EACC officials said they are aware that the allocation to the scheme has not been paid, but still summoned her saying they wanted to confirm whether procurement process were followed when a Sh52 million payment was made to surveyors at the start of the job.
The commission also said they had sent a probe file on her to the office of the Director of Public Prosecution with a recommendation to charge her in connection with an alleged Sh10.6 million irregular travel allowance paid to her.
The officials want her charged with abuse of office and gross misconduct, as well as gross violation of the Constitution.
Last yera, Waiguru was grilled over irregular awarding of a Sh50 million tender and payment of Sh10.6 million travel allowance.
Kirinyaga MCAs had accused the governor of awarding herself Sh10.63 million in imprests as travel allowances for foreign trips she never made.
They also accused her of irregularly awarding the Sh50 million tender to Verocity Partners, a company said to be associated with her relatives.
The firm had been contracted to supply and install hospital equipment, but the commission said the work had been done by a different contractor.
