Nyandarua County Governor Francis Kimemia has claimed that the revival of a Sh2.9 Billion corruption investigation is politically motivated and meant to taint his image as a public servant.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Keriako Tobiko, has opposed a recommendation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to close investigations into the case where former Interior Principal Secretary Mutea Iringo and the Nyandarua Governor are accused of missapropriating more than Sh2.9 Billion from coffers of the Office of the President.
"It is very clear that I wasn't an accounting officer in the mentioned ministry. I was overseeing many departments as head of civil service," Mr Kimemia stated, reacting to the DPP's decision to revive the investigation.
Governor Kimemia at the time was Head of Public Service. The embezzled funds were part of a 'Confidential' expenditure account in the Ministry of Interior, funds used at the discretion of the Interior PS; for instance when conducting emergency security operations.
The funds were lost in the 2012/2013 Financial Year and the EACC in May 2017, recommended that the case be closed citing a lack of sufficient evidence.
The report that informed the initial opening of investigations into the case came from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) in 2014, then chaired by former Budalang'i MP Ababu Namwamba.
The PAC Report revealed that an account at the National Bank of Kenya (NBK) had been used to siphon huge amounts of money without any documentation ahead of the 2013 General Election.
Mr Kimemia and Mr Iringo were the accounting officers in the Office of the President at the time.
Mr Iringo was appointed as Interior Principal Secretary in June 2013, eventually moving to the Defence Ministry in August 2014.
Francis Kimemia successfully vied for the Nyandarua Gubernatorial seat and was sworn in as the county's second governor.
