CORD SENATORS FAIL TO GIVE EACC DOSSIER ON KAREN LAND

Cord leaders on Wednesday did not present the much-publicised “dossier” on the Karen land scandal to the anti-corruption agency for the second time in a week.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives were kept waiting for hours.

The officers had hoped to receive documents with evidence incriminating prominent personalities in the grabbing of the Sh8 billion-land, as claimed by the Cord leaders.

Senators James Orengo, Boni Khalwale and Johnson Muthama had booked an appointment at the commission’s headquarters at Integrity Centre in Nairobi at 9am.

The commission’s spokesperson, Mr Yasin Aila, said the detectives waited for two hours.

“We did not receive any formal communication from them but we established from the media that they would not be coming.

“A commission investigation is proceeding well and we were not relying on them to jumpstart the inquiries. However, if they have information, it will boost what we already have,” he said.

“Cord leaders who were to appear at the EACC to shed more light on the contested land in Karen are currently meeting members of the public and leaders who have come up with more damning information.

“Those volunteering information include MPs who declined offers of plots on the same land. The leaders will, therefore, not appear at Integrity Centre this morning. A new date will be communicated,” Cord leader Raila Odinga’s spokesman, Mr Dennis Onyango, said in a statement.

MASSIVE SCANDAL

The saga revolves around the 134-acre piece of land in Karen, Nairobi, which Cord claims is public property.

It started as an ownership legal suit pitting companies associated with businessman Horatius da Gama Rose and former National Social Security Fund Managing Trustee Jos Konzolo.

The Opposition entered the fray after allegations emerged that it was a massive land grabbing scandal in which at least 40 MPs from the Jubilee Coalition and senior government officials were involved.

The Cord leaders held a press conference and adversely mentioned Deputy President William Ruto and Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu.

They also mentioned Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, Senator Mike Sonko, Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo and Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro.

They have all denied the allegations.