Mungatana dismisses link to Kilifi Sh51m scam

Former Garsen MP and Tana River gubernatorial aspirant Danson Mungatana has denied involvement in the theft of Sh51 million from the Kilifi County government.

In a statement, Mr Mungatana, a former assistant minister and Kenya Ports Authority chairman also distanced himself from a woman who named him in a four page affidavit on Thursday.

He accused Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi of calling for his arrest and making conclusive statement against him yet investigating agencies are handling the matter. He said that he was yet to be served with the affidavit.

“I have noticed that some media houses have published Governor Kingi's accusations on my person and I want to say that the purported affidavit the governor referred to has not been served to me in which we shall act appropriately once received.

Mr Mungatana said although media reports had named one Lucy Wanjugu Kibogo as having dealt with him, he had not met or seen her.

“I operate no other business other than my law firm and the public know about it. I have not done any business with any County government including the Kilifi County Government,” said Mr Mungatana.

He said it was wrong for the governor to make conclusive remarks about his alleged involvement when investigative agencies were still handling the matter.

Mr Mungatana said it was important for the agencies to be given space to do their work without interference.

He said Mr Kingi had reinstated key suspects who had been suspended despite investigations still being carried out saying it was an attempt to defeat investigations.
On Thursday last week, a director of one of the firms named in the scandal, in a sworn affidavit, linked Mr Mungatana to the theft.

In her affidavit, Ms Kibogo, a director of Zohal Services Limited, claimed she was approached by Mr Mungatana, who requested her to receive the money on his behalf.

Ms Kibogo claimed that on October 4, last year, an account belonging to her company was credited with Sh5.3 million upon which Mr Mungatana forwarded to her a copy of a document showing the money had been sent by the Kilifi County government.

Ms Kibogo whose affidavit is in relation to a civil case filed by the county government, said she withdrew the money from the account over several days.

“I later forwarded the money in cash to Mr Mungatana, less VAT and my nominal commission,” said Ms Kibogo in the two page affidavit.

She claimed that on October 7 last year, a further Sh3.8 million was credited to the account.

However, she claimed that she was informed by the bank, named in the affidavit, that the money had been recalled by Central Bank of Kenya because of reasons she was unaware of, at that time.

According to Ms Kibogo, on realising that there was a problem with the account between October 19 and November 10 last year, she transferred to the account equivalent of the money she had initially withdrawn in order to remedy the situation.

She further says that she was later summoned to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Eacc) in Nairobi on November 22 where she recorded her statement with officers from Malindi.

“In the evening of the same day, I was taken to the Banking Fraud Investigations Department offices where I was interrogated. I obliged to co-operate to be a state witness,” she said in her affidavit dated January 12.

She said that she was later charged on December 5 last year when she pleaded not guilty.

“I was disappointed by the treatment that I was accorded after I had agreed to cooperate and furnish the name of a person of interest, one Danson Mungatana,” said Ms Kibogo.

ARREST MUNGATANA

Addressing a press conference Friday where he raised the issue and displayed copies of the affidavit, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi called for the arrest of Mr Mungatana, saying he must not walk freely given the nature of allegations made against him in the affidavit.

“We want to see Mr Mungatana arrested and investigations over his involvement commence,” said Governor Kingi.

He was accompanied at the briefing by Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, Rabai MP William Kamoti, deputy speaker Teddy Mwambire and members of the county assembly.

Addressing residents at the Vitengeni Assistant Commissioner’s office in Matano Manne, Kilifi Assembly deputy speaker Teddy Mwambire also called for the arrest of Mr Mungatana once he sets foot in Kilifi.

“Mr Mungatana should be arrested and charged in court for his involvement in the scandal which the county lost millions of shillings,” said Mr Mwambire.