Ministry of Defense has finally come out to issue its stand
on the Sh40 billion arms' saga, which has seen the Deputy president implicated.
At the same time, ex-sports CS Rashid Echesa got arrested.
The ex-CS is being faced with different charges among them
using the office of the Deputy President to attain an Sh11 million bribe, from
Eco Advanced Technologies Company directors.
This was in an attempt to lure the directors that he
[Echesa] was able to assist the directors in winning the multi-billion tender.
Secondly, Echesa was charged for alleged forgery of the
Defense CS Ms. Monicah Juma's signature.
Mr. Echesa appeared before the court on Monday together with
three others Kennedy Oyoo, Daniel Otieno and Clifford Okoth to answer fraud
charges.
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The four denied all of the charges before they were released
on the Sh1 million bond each. Detectives from the Directorate for Criminal
Investigations nabbed Echesa last Thursday in connection to the Sh40 billion
fake tender.
Defence Ministry has established how investigators and the
con victims paid a visit to Ulinzi house to verify whether the officers they
met last time were still there.
"During the visit, it was established that the
complainants never interacted with any official mandated to represent the
Ministry of Defence," read part of a statement by Defence Ministry Public
Communications director Bogita Onderi.
The statement also added that "all the documents and
the content displayed in the media, pertaining the matter, never originated
from the Ministry of Defence."
A surveillance footage retrieved from DP Ruto's office on
Friday showed two of Ruto's aides having been present when the meeting between
Echesa and the Eco Advanced Technologies Company officials met over the deal.
Despite the DP's admittance that the meeting occurred, he
alleged that many others could have been involved, also accusing his political
enemies of using the opportunity to paint his name negatively.
Mr. Echesa's defendants on Monday called upon the court to
order politicians among them Governor Charity Ngilu, Cotu Secretary-General
Francis Atwoli, Senator James Orengo against speaking about the issue.
They requested unconditional release for vehicles and
firearms which had been confiscated from Echesa's home, now that they were not
mentioned in the case.
Though the court seemingly brushed off the request, claiming
that everybody had freedom of expression.
