The unfolding Sh21 billion dam scandal took a dramatic twist yesterday after Deputy President William Ruto contradicted investigative agencies asserting that only Sh7 billion was lost.
He waded into the multi-billion shilling graft saga claiming that contrary to media reports that Sh21 billion has been lost in the Arror and Kimwarer multipurpose dam projects in Elgeyo-Marakwet, only Sh7 billion is in question.
His contentions puts him on a collision with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reports which indicate that more than Sh21 billion may have been plundered in the dam project.A
And yesterday afternoon, DCI boss George Kinoti said anybody with information on the two dams is free to volunteer it to his office.
“We have given all those mentioned in the construction of the two dams one week to submit their documents to us so that we can verify them to see what was lost, where and to who,” he said.
This came as Treasury Cabinet secretary Henry Rotich was once again summoned again by detectives investigating stalled projects yesterday.
It will be the second time Rotich will be appearing before detectives at DCI headquarters.
Sources at DCI indicated that their probe centred on the Sh21 billion paid out by Kerio Valley Development Authority (KVDA)contrary to Ruto’s assertions that only Sh7 billion was debited from the Exchequer.
On Kimwarer Multipurpose Dam, the detectives are probing the advance payment of Sh3.5 billion, commitment fund of Sh4.2 billion; the insurance fee paid to Sace, a London based firm at a premium of Sh4.9 billion and counterparts fund meant for compensation of Sh900 million.
On the other hand, Rotich is said to have advanced to KVDA another Sh10.9 billion.
On Arror, KVDA paid an advance payment of Sh4.3 billion, Sh6.1 billion as insurance premium to Sace Insurance and a commitment fee of Sh490 million.
But earlier, speaking at the launch of the State of Judiciary Report at Supreme Court yesterday, the DP defended the project arguing that the allegations are laced with lies and misinformation.
It is on that premise that Ruto argued there has been a variance in the amount presented in court by Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and that publicised in the media.
“You have heard that the government has lost Sh21 billion in Kimwarer and Arror dams which is a flat lie. The money in question is about Sh7 billion and for every coin that has been paid, we have a bank guarantee,” he explained.
Interestingly, however, DCI reports show that the directorate is probing loss of Sh21 billion, begging the question, who is telling the truth?
Tellingly, the National Treasury has also confirmed that it indeed injected Sh21 billion in the dam project and that is why Rotich is among those being probed.
This is even as Ruto assured no state funds will be lost in the alleged scandal. Ruto has also criticised those he claimed are prone to cast all government projects in bad light.
“The narrative that is being built that anything the government is doing must be corrupt. We must be sincere and honest about what is going on so that we don’t criminalise and bastardise or create propaganda around every government initiative,” he said. On Wednesday, it emerged that Ruto’s Chief of Staff Ken Osinde is implicated in the Sh21 billion dam scandal.