Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Kenya Revenue Authority is investigating possible tax evasion of more than Sh200 million by companies associated with a former Treasury employee Elvine Leware Macager.

Detectives from the Multi-Agency Team (MAT) is investigating tenders amounting to more  than Sh700 million that were awarded to the companies between 2014 and 2017.

The issue of conflict of interest and the capacity of some of the companies to provide the services for, has also shifted focus to the agencies tasked with vetting companies that tender for government business.

The probe has been widened to include other officials linked to more than 16 firms that received about Sh700 million mostly through bank transfers but never filed taxes. 

Investigators said some of the tenders and companies under probe include provision of consultancy services to the State Department of Water and Regional Authorities, Leware Ventures Ltd and Beachetts Services said to have offered consultancy services for the construction of an abattoir.

Other companies are Ndegwil Insights and Services, Endlevel Services, Vilekat Information, Waveline Consultancy, and Machira Ltd. Machira Ltd, a company the Treasury employee incorporated in September 2014, received about Sh35 million for the  Kimira Oluch Smallholder Farm Improvement Project (Kosfip) project.

Detectives say the earliest payment of Sh10,694,084 was received in November 2014, begging the question when he tendered for the project or was paid for. Some other payments are also not well elaborated, raising eyebrows. 

Also, the team is profiling junior and middle-level officers in government who have unexplained wealth and could be used by some senior and influential government officials.

Another tender mentioned is that for consultancy services on recycling industrial waste in North-eastern Kenya using Ink Trauss Global Ltd.

The company is also believed to have been paid for June 2016 Rio Olympic Games and travel expenses for Sports ministry.

Sources also said the investigations sought to establish how, and why, some of the payments and transactions were never captured in the IFMIS.