Recovered ‘Chickengate’ money to buy ambulances
The Sh52 million recovered from a British firm whose officials have been jailed for bribing Kenya’s electoral agency officials will be used to buy ambulances, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission CEO has said.
Mr Halakhe Waqo also told the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee that the Jersey Government had told the commission that Sh525 million recovered from the accounts of former Kenya Power and Lighting Company head Samuel Gichuru and former Finance Minister Chris Okemo would be sent to Kenya.
In the case of the electoral officials’ bribery, dubbed the ‘Chickengate’ scandal, the UK Government dictated to Kenya how the money should be used.
“It is the UK government’s policy that such money cannot be sent to the Exchequer. It said the money must go to social and development projects,” Mr Waqo told the committee yesterday, adding that the ambulances would be flagged off by the President soon.
Committee Vice-Chairperson Priscilla Nyokabi pointed out the irony of EACC begging the Treasury for cash and asking MPs to approve the allocation to put up a forensic lab when it had helped recover taxpayers’ money.
Mr Waqo said the EACC would have the leeway to decide where the Sh525 million would go.
ANGLO-LEASING
He said the commission was waiting to hear from the authorities and its lawyers in Switzerland where some of the proceeds of the Anglo-Leasing scandal were taken.
Mr Waqo made the revelations as he sought to justify EACC’s plan to spend Sh100 million of the Sh775 million it has been allocated in the supplementary budget on international legal support.
He said a Swiss firm represents the EACC abroad and had done a good job in the past three years.
“It has been useful and productive to us,” said Mr Waqo.
The commission has also set aside Sh24 million to pay external lawyers. The committee had criticised the use external lawyers when it has its own.
Ms Nyokabi said the committee was alarmed by high pending bills that accrue from the cases.
In the case of the IEBC, the lawyers are owed more than Sh1 billion, said members of the committee .