- KVDA board chair Jackson Kiptanui to name acting CEO within a week
- Top managers including acting CEO Francis Kipkech named in dams scandals
The Kerio Valley Development Authority board will hold a crisis meeting following the arrest of all top officers including acting CEO Francis Kipkech on Monday.
Operations at the authority remained paralysed yesterday with most senior staff out of their offices.
Chairman Jackson Kiptanui was consulting Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua on the next course of action.
Kiptanui declined to comment on the crisis at KVDA until further notice.
However, a board member told the Star they had been alerted over a possible emergency meeting this week to decide on how the authority would be managed.
Former CEO David Kimosop was sacked by the board a month ago and his deputy Francis Kipkech took over in an acting capacity. Kipkech was among those arrested to face corruption charges.
Kipkech along with two other members of the KVDA tender board, were arrested at the KVDA Plaza in Eldoret while three other members surrendered to DCI officers before they were all transferred to Nairobi on Monday night.
DCI officers were yesterday still stationed at KVDA searching for more of the suspects wanted in connection with the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal.
Representatives of more than 1,000 families whose land had been earmarked for the dam projects in Kerio Valley said they were saddened the projects may not be implemented.
“From the turn of events it seems the dam projects will not take off. KVDA officials had collected all our details and we were hoping to be compensated for our land so that the projects can take off,” said Samwel Bett on behalf of the families at Arror.
Governor Alex Tolgos of Elgeyo Marakwet had asked the families not to move out of their land before they are fully compensated. Tolgos has blamed KVDA for the graft problems that have caused the projects to stall.
KVDA had awarded a tender for the Sh63 billion projects to Italian firm CMC Di Ravenna, which had established an operations office on the third floor of KVDA Plaza.
The CMC Di Ravenna offices remained paralyzed yesterday with less than 10 staff.
The staff declined to speak to journalists referring all queries to senior managers who were not present.
The KVDA board is expected to name an acting CEO and hasten the process of recruiting a new boss who will normalize operations at the state corporation.