Former Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Najib Balala has arrived at Malindi Law Courts to face alleged fraud charges.
Balala was arrested yesterday by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives over the construction of Utalii College in Kilifi.
He is facing corruption charges over alleged procurement fraud of Ksh 8.5 billion.
Other individuals arrested alongside Balala were Leah Adda Gwiyo, the former Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, and Joseph Odero of West Consult Engineers. They spent the night at Kilimani police cells ahead of arraignment.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) spokesperson Eric Ngumbi said Balala would be flown to Mombasa from Nairobi and later driven to a Malindi court.
As The Star reports, Ngumbi said the individuals were apprehended in connection to the payment of Sh 8.5 billion for the construction of Kenya Utalii College in Kilifi.
“Investigations were undertaken by the commission regarding the payment of Sh8.5 billion by the Tourism Fund out of which Sh4 billion was paid to a company for consultancy services for the proposed Ronald Ngala Utalii College in Vipingo, Kilifi county,” Ngumbi said.
“Upon conclusion of the investigations, EACC submitted the investigation report to the DPP, and the DPP concurred with the recommendations to apprehend and charge 16 persons,” he added.
The suspects are facing ten counts of corruption and economic crimes, including procurement fraud and misappropriation of Sh8.5 billion of public funds, EACC said.
According to the EACC, the Tourism Fund illegally paid Sh8.5 billion for the setting up of a satellite Utalii College in the coast region.
The Sh 8.5 billion resulted from an increase in the cost of establishing the branch from Sh1.95 billion to Sh10.4 billion, EACC said.
According to the EACC, the construction of the college in Vipingo was approved for Sh1.948 billion in a cabinet memo signed by Balala on May 22, 2007, and his finance counterpart on August 20, 2007.
Former Tourism CS Najib Balala arrives at the Malindi Law Courts where he is expected to be arraigned over corruption allegations.
🎥:Philip Muyanga pic.twitter.com/ONAnQVdlYt
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