Barely two months after the swearing in of the kakamega governor Fernandez Barasa , he has found himself on the ethics and anti corruption radar. Governor Fernandez Barasa arrived at the EACC headquarters for grilling over corruption during his 10 years as ceo in the kenya electricity transmission company ketraco, for the better part of the day barasa was still held up in the meating with EACC officials
According to EACC, the former KETRACO CEO recorded a statement in regard to some fraudulent transactions said to have been paid in lake turkana wind power for a project in marsabit .
The money was paid to a private investor due to delays in connecting the Lake Turkana wind power . Members of parliament questioned his recognition which came two months after his 10 years to unravel how 600 million shillings was allegedly paid to lake Turkana Wind Power with other million shillings being paid to wrong accounts.Â
The company however ran into challenges resulting in the 3 extension and eventual termination of the contract after being declared bankrupt.
Ketraco eventually contracted nari group cooperation and power china engineering to complete the project but that delay of 32 months came at highly cost of task payers, aside from ketracos management, the public investment committee want the county officers in the ministry of energy to be held accountable for not conducting and independent legal risk .
Former energy principal joseph njoroge who served as a ps in the docet has already been grilled . Barasa resigned As KETRACO CEO Boss in february this year to contest for kakamega seat which he won
“I confirm that EACC has summoned the Governor to record a statement in an ongoing investigation relating to the Lake Turkana Wind Power project,” a source at the anti-graft body told Citizen Digital.
“The investigation stems from a report on suspected irregularities in payment to a private investor. During the transactions, the Kakamega Governor was the chief executive officer of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO).”
The Governor is among many other persons of interest under investigation over the matter.
Barasa resigned from KETRACO in February this year, a move that elicited reactions from the National Assembly Public Investments Committee (PIC), who had at the time launched a query into the irregular transactions between Kenya Power and the LTWP.
MPs questioned his resignation which came two months before the expiration of his tenure in April, as they also sought to unravel how over Ksh.600 million in excess was allegedly paid to LTWP and other millions of shillings were paid to the wrong accounts.
By Faith Njerwe
