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Five former Homa Bay assembly officials were on Tuesday convicted for misappropriating Sh27.8million.
They were found guilty by Homa Bay Senior Principal Magistrate Thomas Obutu and will be sentenced on Friday.
They are the former county assembly clerk Bob Kephas Otieno, Caroline Chepkemoi Sang (principal finance officer) and Maurice Amek (former principal accountant).
The former MCAs included Michael Ooro (former majority leader), and Isaac Nyandege (former minority leader).
They were arrested and charged by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission in 2018.
They were charged with 11 counts.
They include conspiracy to commit corruption, unlawful acquisition of public property, abuse of office, and fraudulent payment from public revenue for services not rendered among others.
The court found that Kephas, Sang and Amek had jointly and fraudulently authorised payments of Sh27,872,278 purportedly to facilitate the transport and accommodation of MCAs and the assembly staff yet the activities never took place.
“The evidence adduced proved that payment was made for seminars and functions but the beneficiaries denied receiving any payments,” Obutu said.
“The management of hotels where the events purportedly took place, denied hosting the MCAs and the assembly staff for the said activities.”
Kephas was found guilty of irregularly acquiring more than Sh4.3 million. Sang was found guilty of unlawful acquisition of up to Sh7.2 million.
Amek, Ooro and Nyandege were found guilty of acquiring Sh7.3 million, Sh4.2 million and Sh3.5 million respectively.
The first three accused persons were found guilty of abuse of office. They were also found guilty of breaching the trust bestowed upon them to take care of public funds.
Initially, the five were accused alongside a former member of the county assembly service board Judith Omogi and former senior accounts controller Edwin Okello.
However, Omogi and Okello were acquitted after the Directorate of Public Prosecutions failed to find any evidence against them.
Omogi was acquitted on grounds that her signature was forged during applications for the impress which led to the loss of the public funds.
Okello was acquitted because his role had merely been clerical.
They have been remanded in Homa Bay Prison as they wait for their sentences.
Obutu said the EACC proved substantial to convict the five individuals.
The case involved 31 witnesses including MCAs.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
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