EACC flags Kilifi Sh1.1bn legal fees
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has written to the Kilifi County government to furnish its office with details of law firms and services they offered to be paid Sh1.1 billion legal fee in the last year.
EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak confirmed to Nation that his office was investigating the case and it is waiting for a response from the Amason Kingi-led county government.
“It is true we have written a letter over a suspicious payment. We want the county government to share with us the companies and lawyers who are to receive the funds and the services, which were offered to grant that payment,” said Mr Twalib.
The demand was made as local leaders asked the government to suspend transactions until the county justifies the payment.
On Monday, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Kilifi gubernatorial candidate Gideon Mung'aro, Senator Stewart Madzayo and Kaloleni MP Paul Katana said they were aware that EACC has already questioned the pending payments for the same.
Mr Madzayo said as a lawyer who has practised for many years, the bill was exaggerated.
"I worked as a lawyer and later as a High Court judge and I have never come across such a huge sum of money as legal fees. What services can gobble such kind of money? It is impossible, that is why we want the payment to be stopped until an audit is done," said Mr Madzayo.
The senator asked the anti-graft commission to stop the payments.
“I want to ask Mr Mbarak to stop any payment. To me, that money is huge and there are no legal fees that can attract such kind of cash,” he said.
Mr Mung’aro accused the county administration of siphoning the public cash for campaigns.
“What we are asking the EACC is to make sure that no payment is effected because that is a pure theft of public funds,” he said.
The former Land and Devolution Cabinet Assistant Secretary (CAS) said that the Sh1.1 billion can be used to end the water problems in the entire Kaloleni constituency but because of greed, only a few people are out to benefit at the expense of poor Kilifi electorates.
Mr Katana echoed other leaders’ sentiment saying they will push EACC to immediately stop the Sh1.1 billion that the county wants to pay for legal services, saying that it is illegal.
"We want not just an explanation but the EACC must stop this planned theft by the Kingi administration. Their time is up and because of this reality, they have decided to make sure that the county funds are cleaned dry. We will not allow this daylight theft of funds through the purported legal fees," said Mr Katana.
