Deputy President William Ruto has dismissed reports that he met former Sports CS Rashid Echesa at his office over the Sh39.5 billion fake military arms deal.
Through his communications secretary David Mugonyi, Ruto on Monday said on the date Echesa visited Harambee Annex, Ruto was neither scheduled to meet him, nor did he have an appointment.
Mugonyi admitted that Echesa, in the company of two men, visited the annex claiming he had an appointment, but added that he did not access any office other than the public waiting room.
He said on the day, Ruto was not scheduled to work from Harambee House Annex and did not visit the premises at any point.
“The Deputy President was not at the office at the said time as he was working from his Karen Office before he left to attend a funeral in Murangá county that morning. On checking his diary there was no such appointment,” Mugonyi said.
According to him, when Echesa and his men were informed that Ruto was not in his office, they left.
“Echesa and his team did not meet any officer who works for the Deputy President other than the security officers manning the reception. Chief of Staff Ken Osinde, private secretary Reuben Maiyo and Personal Assistant Farouk Kibet were not in Harambee House Annex on the material day as alleged by the media,” he said.
He said the review of CCTV footage indicates that Echesa and his entourage arrived at the annex at 9.39 am, ushered in by the security manning the reception and ushered him to the public waiting room as standard procedure applied to all visitors.
He left after 23 minutes.
“The office of the Deputy President does not procure goods and services for any state department or entities, neither does it provide legal, technical or facilitative services for signing agreements, let alone in its public waiting room,” he said.
Mugonyi said Ruto considers this a very serious matter involving a government office and being an issue that has recurred in many such offices, wants investigations expedited devoid of political and media propaganda.
The statement comes after Detectives from the DCI camped at the Annex offices on Monday morning, grilling the staff and reviewing CCTV footage.
So far, Echesa and three others have been charged with 12 counts relating to the deal.
They, however, denied all the charges and were freed on a 1 million cash bail or an alternative Sh3 million bond.
