The senior officials of the Authority headquartered in Nairobi, among them its chief executive officer Robi Mbugua Njoroge and legal director Johnston Adera are under investigations by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and Directorate of Criminal Investigations over audit records, inflated and fishy procurements, irregular hiring and misappropriation of funds at the state agency. Documents in possession of Kenyanmiro can now reveal.
Already, Inspector General of State Corporations Mr James Mungai Warui has formally written to the chief executive director of Anti-counterfeit Authority Mr Robi Mbugua Njoroge informing him and his close associates that they plan to conduct an in-depth special audit at the state-owned agency.
According to the confidential documents in our possession, on August 8th this year, Mr Warui wrote to Mr Njoroge (CEO ACA) seeking tangible procurement documents that were used for the construction of a go-down at Athi-river that is said to have been inflated with over Sh100 million.
”Reference is made to a letter Ref.ISCINS/POL/210/1(81) dated 28th July, 2023 addressed to your organisation. In order for the audit team to familiarise itself with the issues surrounding the allegations, there is need to undertake a desk review of relevant documents.
Accordingly, the purpose of this letter is to request your office to urgently submit certified copies of the following documents, to this office by close of business on Monday 14th August, 2023,’’ Mr Warui says in his letter to Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) CEO Mr Njoroge in a letter dated August 8th this year.
Mr Warui is also seeking full board minutes for the year 2020/21 to 2023/24, secretarial files on advertisement and recruitment for position of executive director, director internal audit, Director-Enforcement, deputy director-policy and quality assurance,senior legal officer,senior internal audit,senior record managements assistants, legal officers and other senior inspectors.
”Note better, the files should include letters of authority, from the Head of Public Service,National Treasury,Parent Ministry..advertisements,shortlisting ,minutes relating to interviews and appointment letters.
“All records relating to procurement of the godown at Athi-River, to include memo of user requisitions,approvals by chief executive officer,specifications,tender advertisements, opening of tenders, tender evaluation,tender award,performance bond and the contract and bid documents by the bidders,’’ Mr Warui notes in his letter to ACA.
The new development comes a few months after Daily Nation unmasked big scam at Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA) that took place on 31st August last where crooked officials at Anti-counterfeit Authority worked together with Thika-based food maker Capwell Industries Limited and released counterfeited rice into the market after receiving bribes in millions of shillings.
Under the deal, Anti-counterfeit Authority received a tip from Capwell Industries Limited that Varun Distributors Limited owned by businessman Essrani Kumar from Mombasa county had counterfeited their Biryani rice.
The rice would later get seized and condemned by Anti-counterfeit Authority but Capwell Industries Limited and Anti-counterfeit Authority rogue officials would later enter into an out of court settlement and the poisonous rice was released back into the market for sale and the counterfeiter (Varun Distributors Limited ) was made the regional distributor by Capwell Industries and shared the profits from the sale of the condemned rice together with CEO and legal director at Anti-counterfeit Authority.