Cartels behind the vicious fight against the top management of Kenya Ports Authority are now a frustrated lot after their push hit a dead end.
Their claim that there was massive corruption at the port has been dismissed after it emerged there was no evidence to prosecute KPA bosses.
A source at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has told Kurunzi how Noordin Haji has rubbished the push by cartels to prosecute KPA managers.
“The DPP has maintained that he isn’t going to take people to court just for the sake of it. The case of KPA is one of those where there is no proper evidence to prosecute anyone,” said the source.
“The file has been set aside and will only be opened again if the investigators bring new evidence to incriminate those being thought to be culpable.”
Cancelled tenders have been cited as the basis for the adverse publicity against KPA boss Daniel Manduku but it may as well come to vindicate the port managers.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations deployed a team of sleuths to the port in July following claims by an alleged whistleblower that there was massive corruption.
It later emerged that cartels were unhappy with Manduku for cancelling tenders worth over KSh20 billion and have been the force behind the negative publicity against KPA and its managers.
Claims that there was plunder of KSh2.7 billion reported by the media have just ended in frustration for those behind the push after Haji repulsed the pressures saying there was no evidence to sustain prosecution of Manduku and others.
Two months ago, Manduku had confirmed investigations were going on and directed all KPA officers to fully cooperate with DCI and other investigative government agencies.
Media reports have suggested the DPP was hesitant to prosecute KPA managers but it has since emerged that those who wanted Manduku out are now crying foul after their course to implicate Manduku failed.
“It isn’t clear that the matters raised by the whistleblower to DCI had no basis upon which prosecution could happen,” a source at the DDP office told Kurunzi.
“Administrative or policy decisions like transfer of staff and cancellation of tenders in compliance with a government directive do not amount to corruption.
“The case of KPA is a classic example of how cartels fight but Kenyans now know better. DPP won’t take cases to court just for the sake of it because he has also learnt from cases that have failed in the past.”
