The county officials were were arrested on Tuesday by officials from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC in connection with a Sh100 million airport tender.
Three of the four officials are from the Kericho county government, and one is from the national government’s Ministry of Information.
They were charged in court with procurement fraud.
They were charged with deception of the principal, forgery, and engaging in fraudulent practice.
According to the charge sheet, the four on various dates between April 23 and June 7, 2018, at the County Government offices in Kericho, as members of the Tender Evaluation Committee tasked with evaluating tenders for the rehabilitation and upgrading of Kerenga Airstrip, knowingly prepared and submitted a misleading due diligence report to Kericho’s Chief Officer in charge of Public Works, Roads, and Transport without verifying the veracity of the information.
The arrest came after the South Rift Regional Office in Nakuru received complaints alleging procurement irregularities after funds were allocated for the expansion of the Kerenga Airstrip to an airport.
According to EACC, on April 18, 2018, the Chief Officer of Public Works, Roads, and Transport appointed a six-member Tender Evaluation Committee.
The evaluation process took place between April 23rd and April 25th, 2018, and a construction company was recommended.
“Unfortunately, the County Governments of Narok, Nakuru, KeNHA, and KeRRA confirmed that the company’s documents were forged,” EACC said.
The company was not registered with the National Construction Authority, according to the EACC, and the registration Certificate attached to their bid document was forged.
