How Matiang’i, Kibicho looted Interior ministry billions – Weekly Citizen

Fresh details are emerging on how former Interior cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i and former principal secretary Karanja Kibicho looted the ministry dry ahead of the 2022 general elections, leaving the coffers empty and the incoming government in a quagmire.

The duo are said to have pocketed millions of shillings belonging to taxpayers and used the loot to set up multi million investments and political traps for those they perceived for their opponents in the runup to the August 9 general elections.
Currently, Matiang’i is putting up a multimillion residential house in upmarket Karen area.
He is said to have parted with over Sh300 million to purchase the land where the house stands. Matiang’i also used the loot to purchase over 1,000 acres of land in Narok.
The former CS also bought one-acre land LR No 11914/72 along Mukoma Road which he donated to the SDA church. He even graced the groundbreaking ceremony of the church.
The land is registered as owned by Matiang’i and former commissioner of Lands Zablon Mabea.
It came to the public limelight when the Karen Lang’ata District Association sued the two for failing to abide by local physical development plan of Karen and for putting such facility in a controlled residential area.

Kibicho

Also, slain conservationist and ivory trade investigator Esmond Martin who was the immediate neighbour had protested against the development when they started felling trees.
He had marshaled residents to pool funds for a legal suit but was found dead with a stab wound to his neck days later.
Sources revealed that one of the conduits the duo used to siphon state resources was the ill-fated building bridges initiative which was a scheme by former president Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga to change the constitution.
The BBI reportedly gobbled up over Sh10 billion before the Supreme Court stopped it.
After the Supreme Court ruling, the Kenya Kwanza Alliance demanded the Auditor General carries out a forensic audit on the BBI, claiming that the Kenyan money used in its campaigns and planning was unconstitutional.
The alliance claimed that it was aware of the accounting officers who violated a section of the public finance management Act of 2012 by using public funds to finance the expenses for the popularisation of the BBI.
It has since emerged that Matiang’i and Kibicho used chiefs and their assistants to market the BBI and gave them weekly allowances.
However, though on paper each chief was getting Sh10,000 weekly as mobilisation allowance, the money that reached them was less than Sh3, 000. This means Matiang’i and Kibicho would pocket Sh7,000 meant for each chief.
There are 1,450 locations in Kenya which means each week Matiang’i and Kibicho would pocket Sh1.4 billion.
The duo would also slush BBI weekly allowances for the 290 subcounty officials, ending up with millions of shillings.
The first time Matiang’i was implicated in corruption was when State House official Dennis Itumbi leaked details that saw the latter get involved in illegally giving directives to have a public land purchased.

Dennis Itumbi

Insiders revealed that Kibicho used the loot to set up a multimillion residential and commercial buildings in Nairobi and Kirinyaga.
He also registered a wine and spirit company which is now distributing the products in Mt Kenya counties.
A while ago, former Nairobi governor, Mike Sonko, claimed Kibicho stole over Sh400 million in purchase of a piece of land for Ugandan embassy when he was serving in the Foreign Affairs ministry.
Sonko alleged the land was valued at Sh250 million but Sh650 million was paid out, leaving the former PS with a pocket change of Sh400 million.