Questions raised are why a private firm was collecting money on behalf of the government — and where Treasury had no control.
In court papers seen in the news rooms, treasury principal stated that it did not authorize any private firm to receive eCitizen payments on its behalf.questions raised on why a private firm was collecting money on behalf of the government — and where Treasury had no controlIn court papers seen i n the news rooms, treasury principal stated that it did not authorize any private firm to receive eCitizen payments on its behalf.
In court papers seen i n the news rooms, treasury principal stated that it did not authorize any private firm to receive eCitizen payments on its behalf.questions raised on why a private firm was collecting money on behalf of the government — and where Treasury had no controlIn court papers seen in the news rooms, treasury principal stated that it did not authorize any private firm to receive eCitizen payments on its behalf.
eCitizen is an online portal through which the government provides essential services such as applications for passports, driving licences, business registration certificates, vehicle logbooks and title deeds but — unknown to Kenyans — the money was going into an M-Pesa paybill account set up by a local company.
Detectives drawn from the office of the DCI are said to be tightening the noose on Treasury officials and directors of two firms that had been collecting all the revenue from eCitizen users.
Shockingly, when treasury initially disowned one firm that had battled for the control of the online portal, the other one also emerged that it was related to the previous, meaning it was under the same people.
By the time that the government asked Safaricom, to stop Goldrock from collecting the money in 2014, more than Sh5.6 billion had been paid through the eCitizen platform.
Mr Sidney Ngunyi Wachira, the chief executive officer of Goldrock Capital, is also a director of Webmasters Africa, which subcontracted eCitizen fund collection under mysterious circumstances.
“We have started investigations and will keep Kenyans informed of the progress as we move on,” a senior DCI officer familiar with the investigations said.
The officer said that preliminary information points to a well-choreographed theft scheme by some Treasury officials, well-connected politicians and top KRA officials.
The DCI wants to unravel how the Sh5.6 billion mysteriously disappeared from the eCitizen pay bill account, which was being managed by a local firm allegedly contracted to collect payments from Kenyans seeking government services.
It is understood the money could not be traced after the Court barred Goldrock Capital limited from operating the account that was receiving millions per day from Kenyans applying for various services.
While the DCI will cast a wide net to establish how the billions disappeared ‘into thin air’, detectives would also be keen to find the nexus between top Treasury officials and the firms at the centre of the missing cash.
It was Goldrock which registered an M-Pesa paybill number to which the Sh5.6 billion was sent to by Kenyans seeking government services.
Court documents have now revealed that Webmasters Africa has 10 directors, including Mr Wachira and Mr Ayugi, indicating that all companies involved in the mysterious collection of funds are related.