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The government has appointed a new CEO for the Kitui-based Tanathi Water Works Development Agency.

Changes follow the sacking of former boss Fredrick Tito Mwamati, who was arrested by Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detectives a week ago and charged over a multi-million-shilling corruption scandal.

Kimanthi Kyengo took over the reins of the water agency in an acting capacity on Friday at a ceremony presided over by the chairperson of the Tanathi Board of Directors Regina Ndambuki.

Mwamati was also present to hand over. Until his appointment at Tanathi, Kyengo was a director of sanitation in the Ministry of Water, Sanitation and Irrigation.

When Mwamati was presented in a Kitui anti-corruption court, he faced several charges related to fraud, including abuse of office, willful failure to comply with procurement law, and fraudulent acquisition of public property.

Another charge was related conflict of interest over a Sh292 million tender where the EACC claims public funds were embezzled. He denied all the charges and was released on a cash bail of Sh300,000.

The tender was for the construction of the Kinanie Leather Industrial Park water supply project in Athi River, Machakos County, which was awarded to M/S Perma Structural Engineering Company Ltd during the 2021/2022-2022/2023 financial years.

Others who will be charged in the case include Tanathi general manager for infrastructure development Francis Siva, David Otieno Mwango (operations manager), Eric Muendo Ng’alu (senior engineer) and Dickson Mugambi (engineer), said EACC spokesman Eric Ngumbi. Also to be charged are three Tanathi directors who won the lucrative tender. They are Peter Muange Kimuyu, Willy Kimuyu Muange and Joseph Mutua Muange.

The EACC started investigating in 2022 after receiving a complaint that top Tanathis officials had “embezzled public funds to the tune of Sh292,770,465 through fraudulent schemes in the award of tenders to companies linked to them”, the agency formerly said in a statement.