Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko orders Ganze MP's prosecution

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keriako Tobiko

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) will this morning haul Ganze MP Peter Safari Shehe to court over a dozen corruption claims.

EACC says Shehe and his associates embarked on a year-long looting spree of the Ganze Constituency Development Fund (CDF), that started almost immediately he was sworn in as MP, leading to a loss of Sh40 million.

The MP will be charged alongside nine public officials and directors of four companies for a series of fraud and corruption crimes, allegedly committed between July 1, 2013 and June 20, 2014.

Detectives say the MP and his friends enriched themselves from the CDF coffers by breaking almost all laws dealing with procurement and also engaging in fraudulent payments, among other crimes.

EACC Deputy Director for Lower Coast Hassan Issack Khalid yesterday announced the MP’s alleged co-conspirators have been arrested.

“Tomorrow we will apply for a warrant for his arrest if he fails to appear in court,” Mr Khalid said in reference to the legislator who has not been arrested and is said to be travelling abroad.

Khalid told The Standard that although the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Keriako Tobiko gave consent to EACC to prosecute the MP and nine other suspects on Wednesday last week, “the physical file arrived here on Monday”.

The MP will be in court alongside co-suspect Ganze CDF Manager Christopher Nyerere, several clerks, procurement and development officers.

FACING CHARGES

 Also to be charged with Shehe are four directors of Worldrone Plus Ltd and Ng’ombe Mwende Suppliers.

The Standard has established that Shehe will be charged with crimes ranging from engaging in projects without proper planning and procurement procedures.

He will also be charged with fraudulently making payments to himself from public coffers, misappropriation of funds, breach of trust and failure to comply with laws and regulations governing movement of public money and expenditure.

Shehe now becomes the second MP to be charged over alleged fiddling with CDF cash this month, after  Lamu West MP Julius Ndegwa’s indictment June 10 this year.

The Lamu West MP was also charged with corruption crimes over management of his CDF, crimes the EACC claims also began on July 1 2013.

He was charged before a Mombasa court with embezzling over Sh1.6 million meant for development and pleaded to have his cash bail reduced from Sh1 million to Sh200,000.

Ndegwa was charged alongside CDF committee members Micheal Thegeru, Yusuf Hassan Hassan, Sofia Wanjru, Zakayo Gitinga, Alfred Mnjaema and Cornel Tuva.

Ndegwa, who is the first MP out of the 147 in the so-called List of Shame, was charged with corruption charges after the DPP ordered for his prosecution following investigations by EACC.

They were accused of diverting, between July 1 and October 30, 2013,  Sh1.675 million to the Lamu CDF office account illegally from Witu Livestock cattle dip project.

They are also accused of misappropriating and transferring the said money on the same dates without approval from the CDF board.

Ndegwa faces a separate charge of abuse of office for improperly conferring himself Sh1,005,000 meant for the administration of the Lamu CDF office.