Kwale brothers in the soup over Sh48 million scam
The fight against corruption in Kenya has once again taken center stage as officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) arrested four brothers working in Kwale County on charges of graft amounting to Kes48.9 million.
The arrest on Tuesday comes as a significant development in the ongoing efforts to curb corruption and ensure accountability in public service in the devolved units.
According to reports, Kwale County Head of Treasury Vincent Mbito and his four brothers, who hold various positions in the county government, are directors or owners of two companies, Chilongola Holdings and Rome Investments (K) Limited.
These companies are alleged to have been used to execute fraudulent deals with the devolved unit, resulting in significant financial losses to the coastal county.
The suspects include Vincent Chirima Mbito, County Head of Treasury; Mongo Mbito Mongo, County Revenue Officer; Hassan Shilingi Mbito, Driver at Kwale Water and Sewerage Company Limited; Mwaiwe Mongo Mbito, County Procurement Officer; and Chindoro Mongo Mbito, who works at the Ministry of Health and formerly served as an intern at Kwale County.
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Fraudulent award of tenders
The charges against the brothers relate to 10 contracts that were fraudulently awarded to Rome Investments and Chilongola Limited, resulting in exaggerated payments totaling Kes 44.9 million and Kes 4 million, respectively.
These payments were allegedly shared among the family of suspects, the EACC noted.
The tenders, obtained in breach of procurement laws using forged documents, were for the supply and delivery of sanitation materials, food, general office supplies, and institutional appliances.
The arrest of the Mbito brothers underscores the extent to which corruption has taken root in the devolved units, creating avenues for self-enrichment at the expense of service delivery to wananchi.
