Former Kenya Power chief executive Ben Chumo and two top managers Beatrice Meso and Peter Mwicigi have been arrested.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations said on its Twitter handle the trio were arrested on Saturday “on suspicion of committing offences of economic crime.”
“They are to be charged with offences of conspiring to commit an offence of economic crime namely fraudulent acquisition of public property, aiding commission of a felony, abuse of office, willful failure to comply with the law relating to procurement among other charges,” the Twitter thread reads.
Ms Meso is the company Secretary and corporate affairs manager.
Earlier, DCI Twitter handle had indicated that Mr Benson Muriithi, the firm’s network manager, had been arrested but it published a correction saying detectives had seized Mr Peter Mwicigi, who is the regional co-ordination general manager.
But Mr Muriithi has been asked to report at the nearest police station for processing.
DPP PROBE
The Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji has also issued a statement saying that Kenya Power has been and is still under active investigation over tenders for supply of transformers and contracts for supply of labour and transport services.
Mr Haji has ordered the arrest and prosecution of at least 10 Kenya Power managers, including the current chief executive Ken Tarus who took over from Mr Chumo.
The 10 managers who are set to be charged over the supply of substandard transformers are:
- Mr Ken Tarus (to be charged for role he played as GM, Finance)
- Ms Beatrice Meso, Company Secretary
- Mr Mungai Kinuthia, GM, Business Strategy
- Mr Joshua Mutua, GM, Commercial Services
- Mr Abubakar Swaleh, GM, Human Resource & Administration
- Mr Samuel Ndirangu, GM, Information Communications Technology
- Mr Stanley Mutwiri, GM, Infrastructure Development
- Mr Benson Muriithi, GM, Network Management
- Mr Peter Mwicigi, GM, Regional Co-Ordination
- Mr John Ombui, GM, Supply Chain
Three directors of the firm that supplied the alleged substandard transformers, Muwa Trading Company, have also been ordered arrested and prosecuted. The three directors are: Mr James Njenga Mungai, Ms Grace Wanjira Mungai and Mr John Anthony Mungai.
Mr Haji claims taxpayers lost Sh310 million in the purchase of the alleged substandard transformers.
