The Nairobi governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko is said to have pocketed a cool Sh20 million in the garbage collection tenders corruption scandal.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives claim that some of the firms that won the Sh357 million tender wired more than Sh20 million to Sonko’s bank accounts, the Star reports.
The money was not paid directly but through proxies and sister companies in what detectives believe was a calculated move meant to avoid raising suspicions.
At the centre of the allegetions is Anthony Otieno Ombok — a director of Yiro Enterprises, one of the firms that received the controversial tender.
Mr Ombok alias Jamal is also said to be a director of another firm known as ROG Security Ltd.
Investigations by EACC indicate that after receipt of payment from the Nairobi County Government, some of the firms would send part of the cash to bank accounts associated with Ombok, who would then wire the money to Sonko’s bank accounts.
Reportedly, detectives have established the complex money trail, almost similar to that allegedly used by Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu to embezzle cash from the county.
“It’s alleged that the companies that won the garbage collection tenders after receipt of payments from Nairobi City County Government through proxies and sister companies made payments of over Sh20 million to Governor Mike Mbuvi Sonko—through his bank accounts,” an EACC document seen by the Star states.
Ombok is set to be questioned this week as the probe enters its final phase.
On Tuesday, Sonko was grilled for about 9 hours. Speaking to the media after, he maintained his innocence in the scandal saying he is not under investigation.
“I’m not under investigation, but I was summoned as the Chief Executive of the county to come and shed light. As county boss, I don’t sit in the procurement committee and I’m not the accounting officer but I have the general responsibility for my officers,” Sonko said at Integrity Centre.
