Case study 1: Water and Irrigation Ministry
Social Watch successfully places scrutiny on the water an Irrigation Ministry
The social water watch established that water boreholes being constructed were being done through the National water and Pipeline Corporation at exorbitant and exaggerated contract sums. The N.G.O ran investigations through the water and irrigation ministry to find rampant stoking of corruption fired by Hon. Charity Kaluki Ngilu and permanent secretary Engineer Stower. National Water Conservation and Pipeline Company headed by the Minister cohort, Engineer Saboke is her corruption conduit of gravy train.
Those who have been following development in the water services Boards in the country with keen interests observe that the idea of restructuring the boreholes after Ngilu took charge was geared towards paying politics that Ngilu is adept at and destroying well managed companies like Nairobi Water and Sewerage Company. She was accused of soliciting for Shs.50 million from the company and demanded the ouster of the management board.
In Nairobi, 50 water holes were envisaged. Each, according to the contracts were to be drilled and cased at 6 million shillings which independent informants claimed was above the 1.5 and 2 million shillings that is normal. A minimum of 3 million shillings would go to line up pockets, leaving the treasury poorer. Contract sums of these boreholes and another 24 dams that were to be constructed in Kitui, Machakos, Moyale, and Baringo by 2012.A dam in Kitui in Ngilu’s constituency identified as UMMA originally billed at a cost of 600 million shillings was rocketed to 1.5 billion. Another in Kajiado had increased from 400 million to about 1billion shillings raising eye-brows. This was done against the provisions of Public procurement and Disposal Act.
The social water watch in this respect sent a joint confidential letter, dated 14th September, 2009, addressed to the two coalition government principals President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga and signed by James Maina Mugo stating that an engineer known as Saboke was the conduit train at National water and Conservation Company. By the stroke of coincidence, the letter by social watch was received at the Prime Minister’s office on 15th September, nine days before the fires that destroyed the offices along Machakos road in industrial area.
The fire that led to the loss of several documents in the water and irrigation ministry broke out on 24th September, 2009 at 3am.The offices destroyed included the managing director’s, account’s, and other crucial departments along Machakos road in Nairobi’s Industrial area. At least five cars parked outside the offices were also destroyed. Others wept saying they had lost valuables including certificates and travelling documents. A police officer who asked not to be named said they did not know if the fire was started intentionally for some purpose but they said they would pursue the issue to the end. Water assistant minister, Mwangi Kiunjuri, said the cause of the fire was suspicious. He added that the crucial documents which could be used to unravel financial improperly in the corporation were still intact.
Barely three weeks after the fire ravaged the company premises in Nairobi, six managers were suspended from the National water and pipe line corporation. Those suspended included an auditor and a financial officer. The water assistant minister gave an assurance that officers from the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Efficiency Monitoring Unit were investigating financial misappropriation in the corporation.