Two former Isiolo officials charged over Sh163.4 million fraud
By Lucy Mumbi |
It noted that the accused face eight counts of willful failure to comply with procurement laws and four counts of abuse of office under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act No. 3 of 2003.
Two former Isiolo Chief Officers have been arrested and charged with theft of public funds following a fraudulent payment of Sh163.4 million for services that were never provided.
The suspects, Giro Liban and Kenneth Turibu Maorwe, both of whom served in the Office of the Governor, were apprehended by detectives and later arraigned at the Isiolo Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
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In a statement on Wednesday, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) said the charges stem from an irregular tender awarded to a private company for car hire and transport services.
It noted that the accused face eight counts of willful failure to comply with procurement laws and four counts of abuse of office under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act No. 3 of 2003.
“Both men pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Lucy Mutai,” EACC said.
According to the Corruption watchdog, it initiated investigations after receiving reports that the Isiolo County Government was attempting to make fraudulent payments of Sh163,377,754 to suppliers for goods that had not been delivered.
The investigation revealed that the County had contracted Dabasiti Contractors and Suppliers Ltd for the supply of food items and transport services, without a valid procurement plan or budget in place.
Further inquiries found that the County had engaged both the Office of the Auditor General (OAG) and the Pending Bills Verification Task Force Committee (PBVC) to verify the outstanding bills. Despite these reports classifying the contractor’s debt as an eligible pending bill, the County proceeded to pay the amount.
The court released the two suspects on a cash bail of Sh1 million each, with a bond of an equal amount.
They are scheduled to return to court on December 23, 2024, ahead of their trial, which will begin on February 26, 2025.
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