In a hurry? Here’s a quick summary…
- Wycliffe Oparanya, the CS nominee for Co-operatives and MSME Development, denies involvement in the Ksh. 1.3 billion graft scandal, stating he has never been questioned or asked to provide a statement.
- The EACC is investigating Oparanya and his spouses for allegedly embezzling public funds during his tenure as Kakamega Governor, involving transactions through proxies and companies.
Wycliffe Oparanya, the Cabinet Secretary nominee for Co-operatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Development, has asserted that he has never been asked to provide a statement in connection with the Ksh. 1.3 billion graft scandal he has been linked to.
Oparanya stated that he is unaware of any ongoing investigation against him and has never been interrogated by the authorities regarding the case.
“Nobody has come to take a statement from me. As I sit here, I also don’t know what I am being accused of because I am also seeing it in the papers,” he told the Committee on Appointments on Sunday.
Oparanya mentioned that in August 2023, while he was actively participating in demonstrations, he received a call informing him that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) was looking for him.
He questioned the relevance of his involvement in demonstrations to the EACC’s interest in him.
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Defending his record, Oparanya highlighted his decade-long tenure as Kakamega Governor, during which he claims to have led with integrity and has never misappropriated public funds.
“I have served diligently for 10 years. We have had audit reports, and there is none that pointed to me as being a corrupt person,” he stated.
The EACC is currently investigating Oparanya and his spouses for the alleged embezzlement of Ksh. 1.3 billion during his two-term tenure as Kakamega Governor. Investigations suggest that public funds were unlawfully acquired through proxies and associates during his time in office.
Reports indicate that a portion of the frozen funds was funneled by two companies, Sesela Resources Limited and Sabema International Limited, which were contracted by the County Government of Kakamega to purchase a house in Karen, Nairobi.