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Dams saga: CMC di Ravenna speaks out over Arror-Kimwarer scandal

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Italian construction company CMC di Ravenna, which faces charges in the Arror-Kimwarer dams scandal, has denied any wrongdoing.

A statement released in Italy on Tuesday said: “The company is already working with the Kenyan judicial authority to settle the matter as soon as possible.”

This even as DPP Noordin Haji said the company had not cooperated with investigators.

Kenya was expected to seek the extradition of one of the company’s directors to face charges in Nairobi.

Treasury Minister Henry Rotich on Tuesday pleaded not guilty to corruption charges in connection with the loss of billions of shillings in tenders related to the planned construction of two dams.

Rotich, who was freed on KSh15 million bail, is one of 26 people facing charges related to the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal.

According to investigators, work on the two dams has not started yet, an assertion that CMC di Ravenna disputes even as prosecutors maintain that no land where the dams were meant to be built has been acquired.

Prosecutors further accuse CMC di Ravenna and Kenyan officials of inflating the cost of building the two dams in the west of the country to KSh63billion shillings from an original cost of KSh46billion.

The government made advance payments of KSh19billion.

This included KSh11billion in unnecessary debt insurance, which prosecutors said was shared out in accounts belonging to the conspirators and their agents.

CMC di Ravenna denied any links to those arrangements.

“The accusation would refer, in fact, to the conditions of the financing, by banks of primary international standing, of the public works contracted by Kenya to CMC,” the company said.

“CMC and its representatives did not participate in the negotiations,” the company said, adding it was certain it could quickly clarify that it was not related to the matters under investigation.

Author

Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

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