Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa was on Thursday arrested over alleged links to an arms supply bid by foreigners.
Echesa was driving towards Nairobi's Kilimani area when he was flagged down and taken in for questioning by Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers.
He had just left the office of Deputy President William Ruto at Harambee Annex.
Echesa had driven to Ruto's office in the company of two individuals. The DP who was not in the office at the time.
“He is being investigated over fraud involving the purchase of arms. Our officers are questioning him. It’s a fraud involving several other suspects including foreigners,” DCI boss George Kinoti said.
He added, “He had even been hosting them in a government boardroom claiming the office would help in securing the Sh390 million tender to supply firearms and ammunition.” Kinoti did not name the government office.
Echesa was taken to the DCI headquarters along Kiambu Road for grilling. His vehicle was also impounded.
Police said they confiscated crucial documents on the tenders bearing government letterheads.
According to a senior police officer involved in the probe, Echesa has twice taken some Turkish investors to a government office for alleged negotiations.
The former CS was dismissed last year in March when President Uhuru Kenyatta reorganised the government.
Since his removal, Echesa has remained vocal in Western Kenya politics, taking a tough stance against the proposed privatisation of state-owned sugar mills in the region.
He has remained steadfast in his support for Ruto's 2022 presidential ambitions, something opinion leaders believe contributed to his dismissal from Cabinet.
In months leading to his dismissal, Echesa had had confrontations with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, President Kenyatta’s ally in the ongoing Building Bridges Initiative process.
