Kenya Ports Authority finance manager Patrick Nyoike has been arrested together with his wife Jacinta and a ports clerical officer – Isaac Obunga – over payments of Sh214.5 million.
Director of Public Prosecution, Noordin Hajji earlier on Sunday directed that the three including Nyoike’s brother Alfred Hinga and Nyali Capital be charged over offences ranging from abuse of office and dealing in suspect property.
Nyoike, who is among the 10 former and current managers at KPA who have presented their applications to succeed Daniel Manduku as the KPA managing director. Nyoike is accused of making irregular payments amounting to Sh214.5 million to Nyali Capital Limited, a company associated with him.
“Wanyoike had interests in the company, with his wife, Jacinta and brother Hinga, were working as GM and Director respectively,” said Hajji who also revealed that Nyoike has been under the radar of Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission over irregular payments that occured between october 2014 and 2017.
He is accused of improperly using his office to confer a benefit of sh214-million, by irregularly facilitating the definition of Nyali Capital Limited which was not one of KPAs suppliers as a vendor in the KPA vendor portal without the requisite authority.
Mr. Obunga is accused of irregularly defining Nyali Capital Limited as a vendor in KPA portal when he had knowledge that there was no contractual relationship between KPA and the said company.
EACC Coast regional manager, Mutembei Nyaga, confirmed that Nyoike, his wife, brother and Obunga had abeen arrested and will be charged at the Mombasa anti corruption court. “We have them in our custody. They are being held at Central Police Station and will face charges in the morning, Monday,” Nyaga said.
DPP Hajji said there were only letters of undertaking signed by KPA officials guaranteeing that KPA would subtract and remit fund to the account.
Another suspect to face charges is Peter Ndichu Kinyanjui, Director NCL. They will be charged over conspiracy to commit an offence while Nyoike is facing abuse of office charges, failure to disclose private interest to his principal and dealing with suspect property.
DPP said that Wanyoike facilitated Nyali Capital’s Limiteds Micro finance business to finance the KPA suppliers, Local Purchase Orders and Local Service Orders and later utilized the KPA system to have the principal and the interest from the same suppliers remitted to Nyali Capital Limiteds account by the KPA. He abused his office by directlty recieving payments from KPA.
