Details have now emerged that Deputy President William Ruto has ordered an emergency crisis meeting of staff at his Official residence in Karen as investigations into former CS Rashid Echesa’s alleged military scandal takes a new twist.
DP Ruto reportedly issued the summon on Tuesday to the staff after DCI detectives quizzed some employees from Harambee House Annex where the former Sports CS held a meeting with the foreign investors in connection with the Sh39 billion tender scandal
DetailsDetails of the meeting scheduled to take place on the morning of Wednesday, February 19. agenda have not yet been revealed to the media
“We have been told to report to Karen tomorrow (today) morning. The boss (DP) wants to meet the staff over the issue,” a source scheduled to attend the meeting. The move came at a time when more arrests are expected,
Meanwhile, investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have reportedly identified seven senior staff at Harambee House Annex who will be summoned for questioning over the meetings in which the foreigners were swindled Sh11 million in facilitation fees.
Sources said that DCI’s Cyber Crime Unit visited Harambee House Annex to get more CCTV footage for the period the three men went into the building at 9.39 am and left at 11.02 am on Thursday last week.
Communications Authority of Kenya (CA) officials on Tuesday reportedly analysed two police radio sets seized from Mr. Echesa on the day he was arrested to establish the channels he could access. Mr. Echesa in his statement had said the radios belonged to his security firm.
“The radios could have been used by the fraudsters who would pose as security officers of the supposed senior government officials when they were meeting the foreigners,” a source at the DCI headquarters said.
Yesterday, Tuesday 18 for the third time, the DCI detectives visited Harambee House Annex where they quizzed secretaries, orderlies and security workers, with more staff expected to be questioned in the coming days.
This followed the arrest of Mr. Echesa, Mr. Daniel Otieno, Mr. Clifford Okoth and Mr. Kennedy Oyoo Mboya after they were accused of defrauding an American and Egyptian on the pretext they would help them secure a tender to supply military hardware.
The four were arraigned before Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot at the Milimani Law Courts on Monday and charged with 12 counts relating to fraud.
They were accused of, among other charges, attempting to obtain Sh39.5 billion from a foreigner by falsely pretending that they would award him a State Department tender to supply military equipment.
The suspects pleaded not guilty to obtaining money by false pretences, conspiracy to commit a felony and uttering a false document.
They were each released on Sh1 million cash bail. The court also rejected a plea to release two cars and two firearms belonging to Echesa.
