Four senior officials of Taita Taveta County Government plead not guilty to corruption charges
23:10:2024: A senior official of the County Government of Taita Taveta and three of his former colleagues that were arrested by the EACC on Tuesday October 22, 2024, have pleaded not guilty to various corruption related charges at a Mombasa Court.
Before Chief Magistrate Hon. Alex Ithuku today, October 23, 2024, Thomas Jumwa Nyambu, the Economic Advisor to the Governor; Liverson Julius Mghendi, former County Secretary; Christine Mawodo Mwakera, fomer County Chief Officer of Trade, Tourism and Cooperatives Development; and Leonard Langat, former Acting Chief Officer Finance were charged with 10 counts.
The charges included conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, engaging in a project without prior planning, unlawful acquisition of public property, six counts of uttering false documents, and willful failure to comply with the applicable procedures and guidelines relating to incurring expenditures.
The Court heard that the four had on diverse dates in November, 2022 jointly conspired to engage in a project without prior planning and unlawfully facilitated direct procurement and payment of services for the World War I commemoration event that had not been budgeted for in the 2022/2023FY and unlawfully acquired Kes1,018,000 as purported payments for services rendered for the event.
They were also accused of knowingly and fraudulently uttering false cash sale receipts for amounts totaling Kes1,292,000 purportedly for services rendered during the event.
The first accused person in particular, is also charged in count 10 with willful failure to comply with the applicable procedures and guidelines relating to incurring expenditures. The Court was told that the economic advisor to the Governor failed to fully account for imprest of Kes2.1 million for the event.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges and CM Hon. Ithuku released the first accused on a bond of Kes2 million with a surety of a similar amount or a cash bail of Kes500,000 and the other three on a bond of Kes1 million with a surety of a similar a mount or a cash bail of Kes200,000 each.
The case will be mentioned on November 7, 2024 for further directions.
