A section of top officials at the Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) were Tuesday grilled in a Sh16.5 billion food importation saga.
The officials who are directors at the KNTC were picked from their offices and taken to the Directorate of Criminal Investigation headquarters for grilling sessions.
They include KNTC CEO Pamela Mutua. The officials were picked up from their houses.
Trade Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano said Pamela spent the night at DCI for questioning over un revealed matter.
Also grilled were managers of a bank that is said to have guaranteed the business.
Sources said those grilled were also asked questions on the importation of Sh6 billion edible oil.
The oil is stuck in government stores after importation.
This followed reports that taxpayers lost the money in the importation of maize, rice, and sugar.
Sources at the DCI said the investigation team plans to escalate the probe up and further than KNTC.
Also targeted are ministry officials.
They will later send their probe file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions with recommendations on the same, officials said.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is also investigating the same saga and has asked for various documents on the importation process.
Already Members of Parliament (MPs) are investigating the saga.
The MPs have poked holes in the importation of sugar, maize, and rice, even as it emerged that the country lost Sh16.5 billion due to tax waivers on the imports.
Lawmakers sitting in the Agriculture committee raised concerns with the duty-free import and the manner in which the suppliers were identified.
This was even as it emerged that the government lost more than Sh16.5 billion in revenue resulting from the importation of tax-free maize and rice.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, however, did not disclose the forgone revenue as a result of sugar importation into the country.
The amount could thus be higher factoring in the amount forgone as a result of duty-free on sugar imports.
Linturi told MPs that maize importation cost the state Sh3.3 billion, while rice was Sh13.2 billion.
“It is worth noting that there was revenue lost but it was foregone to safeguard Kenyans,” he said.
“Therefore, the revenue forgone resulting from maize importation was Sh3.296 billion, while [for] rice it was Sh13.166 billion totaling to Sh16.462 billion.”
