mzeiya
Elder Lister
Details have emerged of how a prison-cleaning supervisor swindled the correctional services department of Ksh.257 million in ghost supplies.
Between the years 2016 and 2018, Eric Kipkirui Mutai is said to have used his seven companies that were incorporated between 2013 and 2016 to make a lifetime of fortune.
The money was paid through the department's account at the Central Bank, ending in several properties and cash withdrawals by beneficiaries.
According to documents compiled by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Mutai’s companies - which are sole proprietorships - received between Ksh.10 million and Ksh.62 million each as payments for food rations to seven prison facilities.
Some of the companies, however, have no semblance of a food supply business; Hygienic Ventures, for instance, is registered to trade in hair products and sanitary services.
Facton Logistics Enterprises, according to EACC, is registered as a consultant for constitutional law, but they were paid for fictitious food supplies.
Nairobi Remand facility in total was swindled Ksh.61 million paid to the seven companies, each receiving between Ksh.3.2 million and Ksh.24 million.
Lang’ata Women Prison lost Ksh.53 million to six companies, while Kamiti main prison lost Ksh.46 million to deliveries that were never made.
Kamiti medium prison lost Ksh.27 million while Nairobi West prison lost Ksh.39 million shillings to six of the companies.
EACC confirms that no goods were supplied and that no records exist at the prison facilities that would show evidence of any Local Purchasing Order (LPO), delivery notes, or even payment vouchers.
Instead, Mutai is said to have used falsified documents to claim payment that was made through the State Department of correctional services account at the Central Bank of Kenya.
EACC believes that Mutai colluded with some of his colleagues to make the payouts possible.
Mutai and John Odipo have been picked out by EACC as persons that collected the payment vouchers for the seven companies for different transactions.
Moses Sirengo, a principal accountant, has been named as a beneficiary of a house that cost Ksh.8.5 million from the proceeds.
Out of the Ksh.257 million paid between 2016 and 2018, Ksh.133 million was withdrawn in cash from bank accounts and the rest is reported to have been channeled towards different properties like land, cars, and houses.
The High Court has since granted freezing orders as a civil case to repossess the properties commences.
EACC says the Director of Public Prosecutions has recommended further investigations before preferring charges against suspects.
