Najib Balala Arrest: the former Tourism Cabinet Secretary has been arrested by Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission(EACC) detectives.
According to reports, Balala is being charged over an irregular payment of Ksh8.5 billion meant for the construction of Utalii College in Kilifi County.
Reports to NewsProjector indicate that the former CS who served under President Uhuru Kenyatta was arrested on Thursday evening and spent a night at Kilimani Police Station.
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However, the former Tourism CS is set to be flown to Malindi today where he is expected to take a plea at Malindi Law Courts.
Confirming the arrest is the EACC Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi whonsaid he will be flown to malindi today.
“We arrested him yesterday and he spent the night at Kilimani. He is being transported to Malindi. He will be charged before Malindi Courts. Investigations were undertaken by the commission regarding the irregular payment of Ksh8.5B by the Tourism Fund out of which KSh4 billion was paid to Baseline Architects Ltd for consultancy services for the proposed Ronald Ngala Utalii College in Vipingo, Kilifi county.”
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The Tourism Fund website indicate that the institution was 77.74 per cent as of December 2022. It is expected to graduate 3,000 students on campus every year when completed which is now stalled.
Balala and the co accused are expected to face ten counts of graft related to the project. Najib Balala Arrest becomes another Uhuru Cabinet Secretary to be grilled over corruption charges after several others presented themselves to the DCI headquarters.
Balala was arrested alongside three other individuals namely Leah Adda Gwiyo, the former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, as well as a managing partner at an engineering company.
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