Information, Communication and Technology minister Joe Mucheru has revoked an appointment to the council of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication. The Cabinet secretary has reversed the appointment of Jared Peter Odoyo Kwaga, who was to be a member of the council. Mr. Kwaga is one of the key suspects in a Sh2 billion graft probe targeting Migori Governor Okoth Obado. He was among many individuals in a list of appointments by President Uhuru Kenyatta and several ministers the Gazette notice of February 8.
Kwaga had in the past confirmed the DCI had summoned him to shed light on a plot to murder him. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission had gone to court seeking various orders against Kwaga relating to millions of shillings that he allegedly wired to Obado’s children abroad.
The EACC is said to believe the money is linked to fictitious contracts undertaken in Migori county.
In court papers, however, the EACC paints a picture of Obado and Kwaga as inseparable.”Communications link analysis indicates that the governor is in constant communication with Jared Kwaga.”
It remains unclear exactly what business dealings or other issues triggered the falling out between Kwaga and Obado. However, the EACC says in court filings that Obado and his family worked with Kwaga to orchestrate a Sh2 billion theft from Migori county coffers. ”Preliminary investigations have raised reasonable suspicion that the embezzled public funds have been used by the governor, his wife and the said close proxies, the respondents herein, to accumulate property and illicit wealth.” The bad blood is likely to fuel efforts of the EACC, that is going flat out to put Obado at the center of the looting.
So far, the EACC has confirmed that Obado benefitted from fictitious contracts amounting to Sh38,949,376.
This was through money wired by Kwaga to the governor’s children in bank accounts in Australia and Scotland. The governor’s beneficial children are named as Dan Ochola Okoth, Jerry Zachary Okoth and Susan Scarlet Okoth.