Tarda boss probed for altering date of birth to defer retirement

The EACC has opened a fresh probe against Tana and Athi River Development Authority managing director Stephen Ruimuku over multiple and contradicting national identification documents.

The MD is facing accusations of forgery by changing his name and altering his age in his identification documents to delay his retirement.

His original ID card number 1901968, a copy of which the Star has seen, was issued in Othaya, Kamoko sub-location on November 11, 1992. This ID bears the name Steven Maina Githaiga, indicating the MD was born in 1953, and is thus aged 65.

These details concur with his first passport, number A383456.

In 2011, however, Githaiga acquired a new passport with a new name — Steven Githaiga Ruimuku — and a different date of birth.

The passport number A593455 shows he was born in 1958, essentially making him five years younger.

He then acquired a second ID with exact details of the second passport.

It therefore means, the MD who is still in office, was supposed to retire in 2013 after attaining the official retirement age of 60 years.

However, controversies on his actual date of birth on his official identification documents has kept him in office.

To complicate matters further, in June 5, 2015, he was issued with a third ID, which reverted to his initial name, but retained 1958 as the date of birth and not 1953.

Interestingly, the new ID, which was issued in Kariokor, Nairobi county, indicates he was born in Gatundu North.

The MD didn't respond to our calls nor text inquiries on the matter.

This is, however, is not the first time Githaiga has been put on the EACC radar.

In 2015, he was investigated for paying Sh2 million to Mark Line Management, even the though the company had not been prequalified for the work.

The case is yet to be concluded, despite EACC raiding his office in 2015 and carting away his personal file and other documents on the award of tenders and employment.