The government has finally managed to acquire Sh525 million from the Jersey Island hidden in the state by former Cabinet minister Chris Okemo and former Kenya Power managing director Samuel Gichuru.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) yesterday revealed that the UK island has officially communicated to the Kenyan government with a condition that she identifies the projects that the money would be sent directly for funding.
The commission has also revealed it has recovered Sh52 million from the “Chickengate” scandal that was used for bribing officials of the Interim Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IIEBC) and the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) bosses to allow a British firm Smith & Ouzaman secure tenders.
EACC chief executive Halakhe Waqo told a parliamentary committee that the commission has already received communication to this effect and that the money will be used to buy ambulances for the country.
Smith and Ouzman Ltd directors Christopher Smith, 72, and his son Nicholas Smith, 43, were jailed for bribing officials of the IIEBC and Knec bosses to get printing contracts a move that has since seen EACC questioning the poll body chairman Issack Hassan, Energy Cabinet secretary Davies Chirchir and former chief executive James Oswago, who served in the defunct commission.
“On the Jersey matter we have been very aggressive and we are getting back Sh525 million. We already have communication on this and we are identifying projects to fund because the money cannot be wired directly to the exchequer.
On the Chicken Gate scandal we also have a communication on the money and we will use it in the health sector where we will buy ambulances for the country which will be launched by the President,” said Waqo.
The revelations came even as it emerged that the UK government had given the Kenyan government strict instructions that the money will only be wired to fund development projects and will not go to the exchequer.
Appearing before the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee which is scrutinising the supplementary estimates, Waqo told the committee that the UK government had identified the projects that it wanted to fund but the government declined demanding it comes up with its own projects.
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