Kenya’s Finance Minister Henry Rotich has pleaded not guilty to 10 charges of corruption over the awarding of $640 million worth of contracts to an Italian company for the construction of two dams in the country.
Mr Rotich is among 28 officials charged by the country’s chief prosecutor over the scandal, with more than $300 million spent on two dams that are yet to begin construction.
Mr Rotich’s arrest marks the first time a sitting Kenyan minister has been arrested on corruption charges, with the country losing almost $7 billion to political corruption each year according to Kenya’s auditor-general.