The Office of Auditor-General (OAG) has reinstated a senior manager interdicted over a Sh20 million bribery claim, a court in Nyeri heard yesterday.
Through lawyer Milcah Ondek, OAG told Employment and Labour Relations Court it had already reinstated Raphael Muigai Ikame.
Ikame, through lawyer Marete Kithinji, moved to court last year complaining Auditor General Edward Ouko had infringed his rights by interdicting him on March 29, 2018, due to the bribery allegations.
He was accused of soliciting a Sh20 million bribe from officials of Kirinyaga county government so as to alter audit findings for financial year 2016/17.
“You summoned former county executive committee members, chief officers and directors of the county government of Kirinyaga to appear before you, with threat that you had been sent by the current administration (governor) to investigate alleged mismanagement of funds,” a letter filed in court read in part.
Hotel meeting
The letter further said he demanded the bribe from the officials during a meeting held on January 19, 2018, at Edge Wood Hotel along Thika-Gatanga road.
When the matter came for mention yesterday, Ondek told Justice Nzioki wa Makau that the audit office had already reinstated Ikame and had vacated all warnings sent to him.
She further told the court the audit office had undertaken to pay Ikame, who had been on half salary since his interdiction last April, all his dues.
Cost of the suit, she explained, was the only outstanding issue, noting that parties were in consultation.
On November 5, 2018, the court allowed an application by audit office to be granted two months to negotiate with the manager.
Justice Makau gave the parties the last chance to resolve the matter and fixed the hearing date to May 20.