Tana River County Officials arrested by EACC arraigned in Hola
17:01:2025: The eight Tana River County Government officials arrested yesterday by the EACC for procurement fraud have been charged today.
Former Chief Officer for Public Service, Fatuma Zahra Adan; Principal, Supply Chain Management Officer, Abashora Swaleh Salad; Building Inspector, Ali Dhidha Hussein; Inspector, Roads and Public Works, Fatuma Napasha Hussein; Supply Chain Management Officers, Issa Funani Bere, Mohamed Nasteh Abdi, and Kevin Simiyu Wafula, and; Director Al-Karim Agencies, Idris Abdi Sigati were arraigned before Senior Principal Magistrate Hon. Edward Kiprono Too of Hola Law Courts.
The eight, arrested yesterday and booked at the Malindi Police station, are among 14 County officials lined up for prosecution.
They pleaded not guilty to all eight counts relating to willful failure to comply with procurement law, engaging in a project without prior planning, conspiracy to commit an offense of corruption, engaging in fraudulent practice, and forgery.
EACC investigations established that the County Government of Tana River irregularly and fraudulently awarded the tender for fencing the Kenya Wildlife compound and staff quarters in Tana River County to Al-Karim General Construction Company Limited. Contrary to the law, the procurement was undertaken without a budget, a professional opinion, or a plan.
Further, Al-Karim General Constructions used forged documents to win the tender and did not have the required qualifications for the tender award.
Upon conclusion of the investigation, the Commission submitted the resultant file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who, upon independent review, concurred with the Commission’s recommendations to charge the 14 suspects.
The accused persons denied all the charges and were each released on a Kes500,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount or alternative cash bail of Kes3 million each.
Further, the Court also issued Summons for the remaining six persons who did not attend Court. They include the Directors of Al-Karim Agencies, Guyo Shora Guyo, Ali Dido Hidi, and Abdi Sheikh Dahir, and Nassir Guyo, a County Government Supply Chain Management Officer.
The case will be mentioned on January 30th, 2025.
