Kenya School of Law (KSL) lost Sh198 million in irregular payments to six companies associated with employees for goods and services that were not delivered.
The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Tuesday morning directed that six employees of the school be arrested and charged with offenses under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.
“I have independently reviewed the investigation report and the inquiry file and established that the Kenya School of Law lost Sh198, 441, 030 to business entities registered in the names of senior employees at the school,” DPP Noordin haji said.
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The six companies are Ademwa Enterprises, Firmline Company, Deskench Investments, Ngoya Cosmetics, Frigoya Investments, Alfranc Investments.
Amos Kabue Mwangi (assistant director, Finance and Administration), Prof Morris Kiwinda Mbondenyi (Deputy Director/CEO), Frank Kackson Were (Finance Manager), Hudson Amwai Lwigado (Accountant and also proprietor of Ademwa Enterprises), Achiro Nobert Gondi Assistant Accountant and also the proprietor of Firmline Company) and Ephrain Thuku Ngumi (Assistant Accountant).
Others suspects who are not employees of the KSL are Paul Lovi Andenga (Proprietor Ademwa Enterprise), Frida Ngoya Wanda (Ngoya Cosmetics and Frigoya Investments), Alfred Murange Lwigado and Francis Mwaki Lwigado (both proprietors Alfranc Investments), and Dennis Sam Achiro and Keneth Ochieng both of Deskench Investments.
The DPP said the business entities were not prequalified to supply any goods and indeed never supplied any goods and services to the school.
“This, therefore, means that they were fraudulently paid the said monies,” Haji said.
The fraud was perpetrated by the bank signatories to the KSL accounts who were senior employees.
It was also established that the Finance Department would sign for different entities to be paid in the cheque endorsement register and then effect the payment.
The ODPP has approved the arrest and subsequent charging of at least 35 suspects in the last three weeks.
Among the recently charged are three Samburu County officials who were arrested for corruption and violation of procurement laws in the award of a tender for the purchase of two tractors worth Sh8, 418, 964 to CMC Motor Group Ltd.
Reuben Lemunyete Maruben (the Chief Officer, Agriculture), Daniel Nakuo Lenolkirina (Chief Officer, Finance) and Geoffrey Kitewan Marun (Head of Procurement) are alleged to have fraudulently misrepresented facts to influence the award of the tender by purporting to rely on procurement tendering documents of a previous tender contract which was already executed and performed by CMC Motor Group Ltd.
“Upon an independent review of the evidence, the DPP issued consent to apprehend and charge the three suspects with various offenses under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act,” the EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak said.
They were last week charged in Isiolo court.
Earlier, the DPP also ordered the arrest of 12 Kenya Maritime Authority officials and contractors in a multi-million tendering scandal that would have cost the taxpayers Sh205 million.
EACC investigated the irregular award of tender for the construction of a multi-storey block at Mbaraki in Mombasa and revealed that the evaluation committee altered the tender sum as had been submitted by bidders and read out in the tender opening committee for the stated tenders.
Also arrested during the same period was a road inspector with Kericho County who colluded with her six colleagues and awarded her company a tender to construct of a road.
The seven were arrested following an investigation of an alleged conflict of interest and procurement irregularities in respect of a contract awarded for the construction of a road in Belgut Sub County known as the Bae-Kapsimotwet Kibaraa road.
The detectives established that the County Officials irregularly awarded contract for the construction of Bae-Kapsimotwet-Kibaraa road in Kericho County to Jawlink Logistics Limited at a tender sum of Sh5.6 million.
However, it was established that one of the county officials who was involved in the tendering process was also a Director of Jawlink Logistics Limited.
“The firm was neither prequalified by the County Government nor registered with the National Construction Authority,” Mbarak said.
