Top Kenya official among 17 held over graft

KENYAN authorities arrested the head of a government agency yesterday in a corruption investigation into the theft of nearly $100-million (R1.24-billion), a rare move to hold officials to account for graft in a nation where it is widespread.

When elected in 2013, President Uhuru Kenyatta pledged to stamp out graft, but critics say he has been slow to pursue top officials.

A government SUV brought National Youth Service director-general Richard Ndubai and several unidentified people to a police station in Nairobi’s Muthaiga suburb at noon yesterday, a witness said.

All those under arrest had their heads covered with hoods.

Reuters could not contact Ndubai, who is in custody, for comment, and was unable immediately to contact his lawyer.

After more than a week of frontpage stories in Kenyan newspapers and numerous hashtags on Twitter, the prosecutor’s office said on Twitter that prosecution would begin of all suspects named in a file by the police’s criminal investigations department.

Most of those names have not yet been made public.

Public prosecutions director Noordin Mohamed said last week that his office was investigating pending bills totalling at least 8-billion shillings (R980-million).

And yesterday he said he would also examine the alleged role of banks in facilitating the scam.

Kenyan media reported that the funds were stolen through fictitious invoices and multiple payments on one supplier invoice.

Criminal investigations director George Kinoti said 17 people were under arrest and would be charged today.

The case – first reported earlier this month by the newspaper Daily Nation – has touched a nerve, particularly on social media, where some Kenyans are mocking the Kenyatta administration for lip service on corruption.

Government critics say only bigname convictions will break what they call a culture of impunity.

There have been none on Kenyatta’s watch, they say.

Many Kenyans believe that the amount allegedly looted by youth service officials is a fraction of the overall amount of money stolen annually by state officials.

The current scandal follows one three years ago at the same agency.

Earlier this year, a court acquitted nearly two dozen officials at the agency after a trial over the alleged theft of 48-million shillings (R5.89-million) in 2015.

In 2016, the then head of Kenya’s anti-graft agency said Kenya was losing a third of its state budget – the equivalent of about $6-billion (R75-billion) – to corruption every year. – Reuters