EACC raids homes of two senior KeRRA officials over Ksh.500M tender fraud

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has raided the residences of two senior officials of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) in a probe on alleged embezzlement and irregular acquisition of multi-million properties.

KeRRA Regional Accountant for Lamu County Mutambu Kilonzi and Regional Director for Kirinyaga County Eng. Joseph Murage Kimata are wanted for the misappropriation of more than Ksh.500 million through procurement fraud in road construction and maintenance tenders.

EACC officers raided Kilonzi’s home on Thursday, a week after a similar operation at Kimata’s Kirinyaga residence where they managed to collect crucial shreds of evidence linked to assets owned by the duo, as the commission seeks to charge them and forfeit the properties to the government.

Kilonzi is accused of irregularly awarding tenders and making over Ksh.216 million payments to four proxy companies belonging to his wife and relatives, while Kimata is said to have awarded over Ksh.311 million contracts to four companies belonging to a former colleague.

Kimata, who had also served as KeRRA Regional Director in Kiambu County before transferring to Kirinyaga, reportedly made a payment of Ksh.311,125,109.90 to Fidelis Mumbi.

Ms. Mumbi is the director of four companies, and previously worked with Kimata at the KeRRA office in Kiambu.

The companies include Njosca Enterprises Ltd (Ksh.71,820,136.50), Lebca Lebca Enterprises Ltd (Ksh.115,573,198.50), Dolin Enterprises Ltd (Ksh.109,773,225.50) and Kippetu General Mercantile Ltd (Ksh.13,958,549.40).

EACC says the payments were made between the 2016 and 2023 financial years, after which Ksh.6 million was transferred to East African Cables from one of the companies for payments of materials used in a property belonging to Kimata in Thindigua.

In the second incident, the commission revealed that Kilonzi - while serving in Turkana County - made Ksh.216,938,688 payments to proxy companies namely; M/s Felia Company Limited, M/s Kife Company Limited, M/s Joekin Company Limited and M/s Trinam Company Limited between 2020 and 2023 financial years.

EACC established that Felia and Kife Company Limited are registered to his wife Felistus Ndunge Kilonzo, while Joekin and Trinam companies are registered under his relative Edward Musyoki Kituva.

Subsequently, Kilonzi is said to have received a benefit of Ksh.9,133,340 from the companies directly and through hardware supplies to construct the Mutomo Highway Cottage hotel owned by the accountant.

In July, the commission recommended that the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) charge Kilonzi with conflict of interest, abuse of office, and embezzlement of public funds amounting to Ksh.108,501,993.