Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei, has issued a directive to suspend six Chief Executive Officers and 67 police officers following allegations of their involvement in corruption and procurement irregularities.
The directive is in response to recommendations from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for the suspension of public officers currently under investigation.
In a statement released by State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed on Thursday., Koskei noted that EACC has written to several Cabinet Secretaries recommending the suspension of officers implicated in corruption.
These include the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Irrigation, Zachariah Njeru, recommending the suspension of Eng. Fredrick Mwamati, the CEO of the Tanathi Water Works Development Agency.
Mwamati is currently under investigation for procurement irregularities in the award of a tender for the construction of the Leather Industrial Park Water Supply Project.
EACC has also communicated with the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, Florence Bore, requesting the suspension of Stephen Ogenga, the Director-General of the National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), due to alleged procurement irregularities in the award of a tender for supplies at NITA.
Similarly, the commission has written to the Board of the National Museums of Kenya, recommending the suspension of Stanvas Ong’alo, the Acting Director-General, for alleged embezzlement of Ksh490 million through irregular payments.
In another letter to the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Performance and Delivery Management, Moses Kuria, the EACC has proposed the suspension of Benjamin Kai Chilumo, the CEO of Huduma Centre Secretariat.
Chilumo is under investigation for corruption allegations during his tenure in the County Government of Kilifi as the Chief Finance Officer.
The graft agency has also written to the Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Aisha Jumwa, suggesting the suspension of Peter Gitaa Koria, the CEO/GM of Bomas of Kenya, due to allegations of procurement irregularities in supplies for the institution.
Additionally, the EACC has called for the suspension of Eng. Anthony Wamukota, the General Manager of Design & Construction at Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO), due to alleged procurement irregularities related to the construction contract of the 400KV Loiyangalani Power Project.
The commission has also written to the Director-General of KeRRA, Engineer Philemon Kandie, urging the suspension of Esther Wanjiru Chege, an accountant at the institution, due to alleged conflict of interest and possession of unexplained wealth.
“In these letters, the EACC states that the continued stay in office of the mentioned officers during the investigation will interfere with and undermine its work,” says Koskei.
