NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 25 — Former Deputy Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Kakai Kissinger, has denied allegations of corruption linked to the procurement of the Chief Justice’s official residence, asserting that he was cleared of any wrongdoing.
Appearing before the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) selection panel on Tuesday to defend his bid to become the next IEBC Chairperson, Kissinger defended his record by submitting court rulings that exonerated him from criminal charges related to the controversial purchase.
“I have submitted two rulings that withdrew the criminal cases concerning the CJ’s house and the Mavoko Court,” Kissinger told the panel, emphasizing that the judiciary had already reviewed and dismissed the allegations.
The controversy dates back to 2013, when the Judiciary purchased a property in Runda for Sh310 million to serve as the Chief Justice’s official residence.
In 2015, Kissinger, former Chief Registrar Gladys Boss Shollei, and five other judiciary officials were charged with abuse of office and failure to comply with procurement laws during the acquisition.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) recommended their prosecution, citing irregularities in the tendering process.
Appearing before the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee in 2014, Kissinger admitted that the procurement process was flawed, explaining that the tender committee awarded the contract without completing a full valuation of the property.
“The committee did not wait for a conclusive valuation before awarding the tender,” he told the lawmakers, attributing the lapse to the Judiciary’s rapid transformation at the time and its reliance on external consultants. “Chair, I did what I could under the circumstances,” he added.
Ghost project
Despite the hefty acquisition cost, the CJ’s residence has remained unoccupied for over a decade.
Budget constraints prevented the necessary renovations, with the Judiciary announcing plans in 2023 to dispose of the property after deeming it unfit for occupation.
Then Chief Registrar Anne Amadi confirmed that limited financial resources had hindered efforts to renovate or utilize the residence.
During his appearance before the panel, Kissinger reiterated that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) withdrew the charges after exhaustive investigations found no evidence of misconduct.
“Extensive investigations were conducted, and the DPP moved to court to have the cases withdrawn,” Kissinger stated, urging that the matter should not be used to question his integrity.
The panel however took Kissinger to task over his failure to seek damages in court to clear his name citing public perception on the involvement of political actors in the matter.
Kissinger, who serves as Resource Mobilization Director in the Interior Ministry, maintained that his extensive experience and DPP’s discontinuation of the graft case make him a credible candidate to lead the electoral body.
Source: capitalfm
