President Uhuru Kenyatta Hands Over Ambulances Bought with Funds Recovered from Smith & Ouzman Chickengate Scandal

President Uhuru Kenyatta today handed over to counties seven ambulances purchased with money recovered from a UK company found guilty of bribery to get a Kenyan contract.

According to State House, the ambulances will be used to support the health referral system and will be based at health centres that really need them.

The counties which have benefitted are Laikipia, Wajir, West Pokot, Kitui, Elgeyo Marakwet and Nairobi.

Governors Joshua Irungu, (Laikipia), Ahmed Abdullahi (Wajir), Simon Kachapin (West Pokot), Julius Malombe (Kitui), Evans Kidero (Nairobi) and Senator Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet) received the ambulances on behalf of their counties.

In 2015, a London court jailed directors of the British company, Smith & Ouzman Ltd, for bribing officials of the then Interim Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IIEBC) and the Kenya National Examinations Council (Knec) to get printing contracts.

Kenyan officials who were implicated in the scandal but have never been convicted included then IIEC Commissioner Davis Chirchir and CEO James Oswago, and former KNEC boss Paul Wasanga.

The UK government later announced that it would repatriate the recovered funds through its Department for International Development (DfID) for investment in social sectors of Kenya’s economy such as health.

The UK government’s policy does not allow public funds recovered from proceeds of crime to return to National Treasury

Following the strict regulation set by the UK, EACC CEO Halakhe Waqo in 2016 told Parliament that the Sh52 million recovered from Smith & Ouzman would be used to buy ambulances. The Kenyan public had lost the amount through inflated printing contracts.

Here are the photos of the handover at State House Nairobi.

[caption caption="President Kenyatta and Laikipia Governor Joshua Irungu"][/caption]

[caption caption="President Kenyatta and Governor Kidero"][/caption]