The Ksh505 million graft case involving Migori Governor Okoth Obado has taken a twist after a witness revealed how crucial evidence was destroyed by a fire incident at the county's procurement office.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission lead investigator Robert Cheruiyot Rono took the stand to detail how the evidence was key in linking the pieces together to uncover the dealing of the alleged embezzlement.
"The timing of the fire incident raised a lot of questions on whether there was a deliberate and concerted effort to delay investigations into the alleged embezzlement of public funds, given that it happened on the eve of the day we were to be supplied with the evidence,” he stated.
He added that the Migori governor had failed to deliver the tender documents in two previous occasions before the office went up in flames.
Rono affirmed that EACC had requested the tender documents as well as contracts awarded to the county office between 2013 and 2017 in order to investigate the alleged loss of public funds. The lead investigator however claimed that the company secretary of the county government requested for ten days to produce the stipulated documents.
"On the day he was to bring the documents on September 11 2017, the company secretary failed to turn up. We raised concerns and on September 20, 2017, we issued him another notice to produce the documents,” said Rono.
He noted that upon requesting for the evidence to be produced for the second time, they were informed that it had been destroyed in a fire incident.
Rono affirmed that the commission had written to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in order to establish the cause of the mysterious fire.
"The DCIO established that the arson actually took place and that nothing was rescued... They stated that after evaluating the circumstances, there was evidence to show any person was responsible for the fire,” he pointed out.
The case pitting Obado and his four children Dan Achola, Scarlet Susan, Jerry Zachary and Evelyne Odhiambo, has taken a turn of events in the recent past.
During a previous court session, Obado stated that he would not be held accountable for his kids actions as they are responsible for their own activities.
“I am not responsible for the acts or omissions of my grown-up children, well past the maturity age. It is ridiculous for EACC to heap responsibility on me for things allegedly done by other adult persons where the only nexus is parenthood,” he told the court.
