AG to hand over crucial Chickengate evidence

Attorney General Githu Muigai. The select committee on the electoral body will receive crucial documents from the Attorney General on the Chickengate scandal. (PHOTO: COURTESY)

The select committee on the electoral body will receive crucial documents from Attorney General Githu Muigai on the Chickengate scandal.

The AG yesterday promised to ask the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to provide him with the evidence for onward transmission to the committee, as part of its probe into the conduct of the nine commissioners.

The evidence relates to claims that some commissioners received millions of shillings to award lucrative contracts to a UK printing firm, Smith and Ouzman.

Muigai told the bipartisan committee that although he had received the “Chickengate” evidence from the United Kingdom Serious Fraud office and passed it on to the investigating agencies,he had not kept copies of the evidence and would need to retrieve them from the two agencies.

Serious effort

“My office was the transmission line. Once I  received the material, I did not retain it for the sake of the safety of my staff. I sent the material to the EACC, who in turn sent it to the DPP. I can make the request on behalf of the committee. I will make a very serious effort to get the material,” the AG told the committee.

The select committee, chaired by Senators Kiraitu Murungi (Meru) and James Orengo (Siaya) is mandated to make recommendations on any allegations made against the commissioners, with a possibility of recommending their exit from office.

The committee is also mandated to propose legal and policy reforms in the conduct of future elections in the country.
This evidence could form a key plank of its final report expected in the next three weeks.

Although a number of directors in the UK were sanctioned over the scandal, it is only this week that EACC recommended the prosecution of former IEBC chief Executive, James Oswago and Trevy Oyombra, another alleged mastermind of the scandal.

Muigai, however, did not  tell the committee if he is aware of the contents of the Chickengate dossier.