Muhoro defends self over Tatu City saga

Head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Ndegwa Muhoro (right) flanked by the head of Economic Crimes Unit Odhiambo Kamlus, addresses the Press on the Tatu City saga at the DCI headquarters in Nairobi. [Photo: Moses Omusula/Standard]

Head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Ndegwa Muhoro has denied having interfered with investigations in the multi-billion-shilling Tatu City project.

Mr Muhoro disputed assertions he had sent two probe files with different recommendations over allegations of fraudulent transfer of shares and change of directorship of Purple Saturn Properties, the firm at the centre of Tatu City's ownership legal battles.

He said his office never made any recommendations to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the matter and added all they did was to seek a legal opinion on six main issues.

"These matters were investigated and the files forwarded to the DPP in September seeking for legal advice. Until last week (six months down the road) when the two files were referred to the Multi-Agency Team, my officer was still waiting for the DPP to advise us on the way forward," he said.

Muhoro said DCI first received a complaint on the issue from the Tatu City side, led by Nahashon Nyaga, in June last year and immediately launched investigations.

Two months later, they received another complaint from the Stephen Jennings side, accusing the Nyaga team of trying to take away the land from them.

He was reacting to the move by the DPP to set up a multi-agency team to review the files sent to his office on the saga with conflicting recommendations.

DPP Keriako Tobiko wants the team – which brings together the presidency, ODPP, the police, Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Financial Reporting Centre and Assets Recovery Agency – to look into circumstances surrounding the matter including allegations of impropriety against officers accused in the saga.

The conduct of the DCI and the now controversial investigations into ownership of the multi-billion-shilling Tatu City project will be independently probed.

Submission of two files with different findings on the same subject has raised questions about the investigations with lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi sensationally claiming police had been compromised to implicate his client.

He accused the DCI of being used to subvert justice by opening parallel investigations on the same matter.