Museums ex-boss Mzalendo Kibunjia, 4 others released on Sh5m cash bail in Sh441m graft case

Former National Museums of Kenya Director-General Mzalendo Kibunjia (left) and his co-accused at the Milimani Law Courts on April 16, 2024. (Photo: Joseph Ndunda/EV)

By Joseph Ndunda
Tuesday, April 16, 2024

They are accused of conspiring to embezzle the money being fraudulently paid as salaries and gratuities to non-existent employees at the NMK.

Former National Museums of Kenya (NMK) Director General Mzalendo Kibunjia and former human resources director Stanvas Ongalo were charged on Tuesday, along with three others, with conspiracy to commit corruption in relation to the looting of Sh441.3 million from the institution between 2016 and 2022.

The others charged were ICT payroll officer Oliver Rabuor, payroll accountant Wycliffe Ongata and businessman Oscar Mwaura and his two companies.

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They were each released on a bond of Sh10 million each and an alternative cash bail of Sh5 million.

They are accused of conspiring to embezzle the money being fraudulently paid as salaries and gratuities to non-existent employees at the NMK.

Former National Museums of Kenya (NMK) Director General Mzalendo Kibunjia outside the Milimani Law Courts on April 16, 2024. (Photo: Joseph Ndunda/EV)

They are also facing charges of money laundering after allegedly jointly colluding to include people purported to be employees of NMK into the institution's payroll where Sh491,214,551 was paid as salaries and gratuity while knowing the money was the proceeds of crime.

They face a total of eight charges and have denied them all before Senior Principal Magistrate Victor Wakumile of the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.

The cases will be mentioned on May 2, 2024.

The suspects were ordered to deposit their travel documents in court and seek the court's permission to travel.

Kibunjia and director of human resources and administration Stanvas Ongalo Opijah are solely charged with abuse of office for allegedly using their offices to confer a benefit of Sh441 million to ghost workers.

They are accused of contravening the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act of 2003 by allegedly sanctioning the payment for ghost workers.

Ongata, the proprietor of Galmalink Enterprises, is charged with the acquisition of proceeds of crime for allegedly obtaining Sh14,560,446 from his accomplices, Mwaura and Victor Owuor. Owuor is a payroll accountant and the owner of one of the companies sued for the acquisition of the funds.

The money was paid to employees who had fraudulently entered the NMK payroll.