Ball in EACC's court as Britain shares evidence on Chickengate

NAIROBI: The electoral commission is studying documents that they will need to prosecute Kenyan officials named in the Chickengate scandal.

Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) handed the documents to the Attorney General's office last month. AG Githu Muigai then handed the data to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which has not gone public on the same.

EACC has been asking for more time, saying it was waiting for evidence from SFO amid accusations it was dragging its feet.

The commission has so far interrogated among others the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Chairman Isaack Hassan, Davis Chirchir, a former commissioner in the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission, former Chief Executive Officer James Oswago and former Kenya National Examinations Council boss Paul Wasanga. They also interrogated the man named as a linkman, Trevor Oyombra.

Sources aware of the development said the move by SFO to hand over the documents had caused panic in some quarters that fear public pressure and prosecution.

"The EACC was given the file with the required information from SFO. Ask them how far they have gone with their investigation and if they have sent the file to the DPP," said a source who asked not to be named.

Another source at the commission said a team that has been handling the case is now studying the data and would give their verdict soon.

The dossier include data that was used by British authorities to jail and fine directors of printing firm Smith & Ouzman for paying out bribes totaling Sh59 million and code-named chicken, to electoral and examination officials.

This would mark a new step in the probe into the matter after months of a blame game by Kenyan officials. EACC had sent officials to London as part of their investigations and they came back saying they needed data from the SFO.

EACC officials refused to confirm or deny officially whether they had the data needed to recommend prosecution of thee officials named in the scam.

Chief Executive Officer Halakhe Waqo and his deputy Michael Mubea were said to be in a day-long meeting at the commission yesterday. They did not respond to our calls and texts.