By Salim Mutuma
The anti-graft agency has filed a suit in the High Court in Nairobi seeking to recover Sh21 million embezzled by a private company, Mulwa Farm Limited in collusion with nine officials of the State Department of Correctional Services.
The nine officials are Ochoki Omaiyo Joseph, Sarah Kemunto Kerandi, James Nyang’au Gekobe, Humphrey Wende Abok, Isaac Barasa Wekesa, Moses Juma Sirengo, Joseph Kamau Mwangi, Mageto Omari Mirieri and Jack Nyariango Ogao.
EACC investigations show the company during financial years 2016/2017, 2017/2018 and 2018/2019 fraudulently and illegally received Sh21,697,500 from the State Department for food rations not delivered.
The company has one director Steven Mulwa.
A fraudulent scheme was perpetrated jointly by all of Defendants, involving making of false procurement documents including requisition forms, Local Purchase Orders (LPO), delivery notes, inspection and acceptance certificates, and Invoices which were used to support payment vouchers.
Payment vouchers as supported by the falsified documents were then used by above-mentioned public officers to effect the payments to the company for goods not supplied.
On August 16 this year, the agency issued Demand Notice to Mulwa Farm Limited, and the nine public officials to return the money but they failed prompting filing of a recovery suit in the High Court on October 4.
Despite the stringent and multiple stages of authentication and approval of payments in Government financial expenditure, EACC notes, cases of individual public officers embezzling huge amounts of public funds continue to thrive.
This points to possible collusion, connivance or abdication of duty by Accounting Officers.
“We call upon all Accounting Officers of public entities to take up their responsibilities in protecting the public funds entrusted under their care and control,” EACC appealed.
