Anti-corruption agency grills Kenya's election boss Issack Hassan over chicken scandal

IEBC Chairman Issack Hassan

Nairobi, Kenya: Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chair Issack Hassan was Thursday morning grilled by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission officials over the ‘chicken’ scandal.

Other officials mentioned in the scam and set to be grilled later are Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and former IEBC Chief Executive Officer James Oswago.

Mr Chirichir served in the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC).

Each of those mentioned will appear on a different day in an exercise that begun Thursday morning and runs to Monday, February 23. Hassan is the first one to appear before the ant-graft body, followed by Oswago, then Chirchir.

EACC officials are taking statements from the officials adversely mentioned in what has been described as ‘Chicken’ scandal, and which involved directors of British printing firm smith and Ouzman bribing officials in the Kenyan electoral commission and examinations body to win contracts.

"The letters have been sent to those mentioned and they will begin appearing in batches," Ms Keino explained Wednesday, adding that the commission had resolved to summon the officials even as they await the files from UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO).

Two officials of a British printing firm that paid Sh47.3 million in bribes to secure the election and examination material contracts were jailed last week.

Nicholas Charles Smith was jailed for three years by the Southwark Crown Court while his father, Christopher John Smith was sentenced to a 18-month suspended term for his role in the scandal in which top IIEBC and Knec officials pocketed Sh50 million as bribes.

The development aggravated pressure for the anti-graft body to take action and nail those behind the scandal.