The bromance and the seamless working relationship between DCI George Kinoti and DPP Noordin Haji seems to be on the rocks.
On Tuesday, March 3, the two differed on charges preferred on Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director Daniel Manduku.
After DCI officers arrested Manduku and Kenya Revenue Authority Commissioner for Customs Kevin Safari, they produced them in court ambushing their DPP colleagues who had no clue on what was happening.
The prosecution who had no idea on the arraignment of the duo expressed shock and could not press charges despite the DCI having prepared the charge sheet.
What’s more DPP Haji is said to have learnt about the arrest of the two through the media as some of the DCI officers claimed that Haji was taking long in handling cases as files dating back to April 2019 still lay in his office.
Manduku and Safari who are accused of tender fraud did not take plea as the magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot recalled the file for review.
“We cannot continue like this when we have no file approved by the DPP. We cannot hold a person who has not been charged and until such a time when the DPP and the DCI will put their house in order I will direct the two to walk out and no one should arrest them,” said Cheruiyot.
The two suspects were then allowed to walk free.
Manduku had been arrested for unlawfully gazetting Mitchel Cotts and Nairobi Inland cargo terminal as KPA cargo facilities yet the two did not meet the threshold of a cargo handling facility.
Before arresting the duo DCI Kinoti had disclosed that his office was done with investigations and had given the file to the DPP in November 2019.
The healthy working relationship between Kinoti and Haji had been the driving force in the fight against graft and fear is rife the fight against corruption could be derailed by the emerging cracks.
The two became champions of anti-corruption war barely six months after assuming office.
The working relationship between their predecessors Ndegwa muhoro and Keriako Tobiko was nothing to write home about as criminals with deep pockets walked scott-free amid claims of entrenched corruption in the two constitutional offices.
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