A major corruption scandal has rocked Kitui County, leading to the arrest and arraignment of six individuals linked to an irregular KSh 56 million X-ray machine procurement during the tenure of former Governor Charity Ngilu. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives arrested the suspects after years of investigations, exposing what appears to be a well-orchestrated scheme to embezzle public funds under the guise of a medical equipment procurement deal.
According to court documents in our possession (File No: MCAC 5001/25), Richard Mukula Muthoka, the then Chief Officer in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, played a key role in the fraudulent deal by authorizing the payment to Marmut Suppliers, a company owned by Martin Katua, who is feared to be Ngilu’s proxy. The charge sheet reveals that instead of mobile X-ray machines, which were required under tender CGOKTI/128/2017-2018, the county government received fixed X-ray machines, rendering them largely unusable.
Muthoka faces multiple charges, including abuse of office, failure to comply with procurement laws, and unlawful expenditure of public funds under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003. He is also accused of authorizing the release of KSh 56 million despite knowing that the equipment did not meet contractual specifications. Alongside him, four procurement officers from Kitui County Referral Hospital—Nicholas Kyule Nthiwa, Jackson Rorat, Michael Ndambuki, and Mutua Mailu—have been charged with fraudulent certification of substandard equipment, enabling the misappropriation of public funds.
Further allegations indicate that on May 29, 2019, Dr. Muthoka authorized a payment of Kshs. 56 million to Marmut Suppliers, despite the non-compliance of the delivered X-ray machines with the required specifications. He is also charged with willful failure to comply with procurement laws, unlawful spending of public funds, and financial mismanagement.
The second accused, Martin Katua Mwendwa, the proprietor of Marmut Suppliers, has been charged with failure to remit KRA VAT worth Kshs. 8.96 million from the payment he received for the procurement contract. Authorities claim that this resulted in massive tax evasion, further compounding the corruption case.
Additionally, Nicholas Kyule Nthiwa, Jackson Mutetia Rorat, and Michael Ndambuki, who served as members of the Inspection and Acceptance Committee, have been charged with fraudulent certification of non-compliant X-ray machines. On May 23, 2019, they allegedly signed a falsified inspection report, falsely confirming that the delivered equipment met contractual standards, leading to the Kshs. 56 million payment.
The six accused individuals, including Muthoka and Katua, were released on a KSh 500,000 cash bail or a KSh 1 million bond, but their prosecution has rekindled hope that accountability will be served. Many believe that this case could mark the beginning of a larger probe into financial mismanagement during Ngilu’s administration, potentially leading to further arrests and the long-awaited exposure of the masterminds behind Kitui’s corruption scandals.
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