KPA chief Manduku resigns as graft charges drag on

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Daniel Manduku, who is facing corruption charges, has resigned.

Mr Manduku is facing charges of unlawfully awarding tenders for the construction of cargo storage facilities at the Nairobi Inland Container Depot (ICD).

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia Friday confirmed receipt of Mr Manduku’s resignation letter.

The former National Construction Authority (NCA) executive director, was first appointed to the position in an acting capacity on May 30, 2018, replacing Ms Catherine Mturi-Wairi who was sent on compulsory leave by the KPA board due to lack of effective leadership.

“I shall be eternally grateful for the support of all the outstanding individuals who have contributed to what we have achieved over the last few years and to you in particular for your leadership and vision,” read part of the letter to CS Macharia.

His initial two-month contract lapsed on July 31, 2018 but on August 1, the board of KPA extended it by four months up to November 30.

Transport CS James Macharia confirmed him to the position after the extension lapsed.

Early this month, Mr Manduku was brought before a Nairobi court together with the commissioner customs and border control at Kenya Revenue Authority, Mr Kevin Safari but they were released after the Director of public Prosecutions Noordin Haji declined to approve the charges against them.

The two had been arrested a day before and held in custody awaiting to be charged. But when they were brought before senior principal magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot, there was no prosecutor but only his lawyers and an officer from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

The court adjourned the case briefly, waiting for the prosecutor and the file to be brought from the DPP’s office.

And when he appeared before Mr Cheruiyot, assistant director of public prosecution Joseph Riungu then told the court that he does not know why the two were brought to court.

According to the prosecutor, the DPP had instructed that they be released on police bond as he looked into the matter.

A charge sheet released a day earlier indicated that Dr Manduku and Mr Safari would be charged with unlawfully awarding tenders for the construction of cargo storage facilities at the Nairobi Inland Container Depot (ICD). There were to face a total of 11 counts.

Lawyer Nelson Havi told the court that Dr Manduku was arrested despite obtaining a court order in December, stopping his arrest. He said the MD had paid an anticipatory bail of Sh500,000 before the High Court in Mombasa.

Mr Cheruiyot said it was not fair to continue holding the two in the cells yet there was no charge sheet.

Following the differences between DPP and DCI, Mr Manduku walked out of the court a free man.