Kenyans in court over UK-linked bribery

Kenyan investigators arrested the former CEO of the electoral commission and two others in dawn raids on Wednesday, the latest twist of a scandal that has already led to Britain’s first conviction of a company for foreign bribery.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is under increasing pressure to curb endemic corruption before elections, which are due in August. His government has been engulfed by financial scandals, although Wednesday’s arrests concern contracts signed before he took office.

Former election official James Oswago was charged in court with receiving bribes from Trevy Oyombra, the agent for British firm Smith & Ouzman, a printing company that won contracts to print election material in past votes.

The men appeared in court with Hamida Ali, who covered her face with a golden veil stamped with the Chanel logo as prosecutors alleged she facilitated payments using her bank account. All three have denied any wrongdoing.

PROCUREMENT LAWS

Prosecutors say the accused used the word “chicken” to refer to cash, asking “have you eaten the chicken?” as code for receiving money.

“As long as Kenyans can see that some people have been taken to court over what has been popularly known as the Chickengate scandal, we believe that the current commission is going to be much more careful in its observance of the procurement laws,” said Julius Muraya, a deputy director at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

After an investigation by Britain’s Serious Fraud Office, a London court convicted the chairman and marketing manager of Smith & Ouzman in 2014 of paying nearly £500,000 in bribes.

Oswago and other officials were charged in 2014 in cases related to the procurement of voter identification devices and solar lanterns. Those cases have not been concluded.