Waititu, MCAs face arrest over Kaa Sober plan
@EWainaina
Embattled Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu and some Members of the County Assembly are staring at possible arrest over an alleged cover-up plot and involvement in the controversial Sh1 billion Kaa Sober programme that was meant to rehabilitate alcoholics.
The scandal, whose investigations have been gathering steam in the last few weeks, also deepens woes for Waititu—the architect of the programme—which he terminated in February this year in an event that gobbled up at least Sh104 million.
The scam, which could see the governor face more graft charges, is likely to dwarf the Sh588 million tender scam which saw him, his wife Susan Wangari, Chief Officer for Roads Eng Lukas Wahinya and members of the county tender and evaluation committee charged in July.
Wrong direction
Close to 20 MCAs, majority of who are members of the regional assembly’s Budget and Finance Committee, have already recorded statements after being grilled for hours by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives over the role in the scandal.
Those who have recorded statements include House Clerk Joseph Ndirangu, Deputy Speaker Philip Mubea (Cianda Ward) as well as Majority Leader Gideon Gachara, a fierce critic of the programme, and chief whip Simon Karema.
However, Gachara and Karema are not members of the committee.
EACC, through its spokesperson Yassin Amaro yesterday confirmed to People Daily the MCAs have already recorded statements with the agency, in what he described as a “wide-scale investigations” which will either see them become suspects or witnesses.
“The probe is a wide-scale investigation, which has been going on in Kiambu in relation to the programme (Kaa Sober).
As to whether any of them (MCAs) will be witnesses or suspects in the case, it will be determined by the statements recorded from them,” Amaro said.
Created unprocedurally
The 17-member committee has been grappling with allegations of being “assembled” to bulldoze the tabling and approval of a supplementary budget approving Sh722 million which had already been spent on the project without approval.
The committee, chaired by Kiuu Ward Rep Dan Ngugi, and which was reportedly created unprocedurally in March, was responsible for writing a supplementary budget report that led to the approval of the Sh722 million.
