Former Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala was arraigned in a Malindi law court facing corruption charges for allegedly abusing office while serving in the ministry.
Balala who appeared before Malindi Chief Magistrate Joseph Mwaniki was charged alongside his former Principal Secretary Leah Gwiyo and 82-year-old Joseph Odero and they all denied the charges.
The former CS and PS were released on Sh5 million bonds with a surety of a similar amount or Sh1 million cash bail after pleading not guilty.
Detectives from the anti-graft agency on Friday arrested Balala.
The arrest follows allegations that the Tourism Fund fraudulently paid Sh8.5 billion to set up the Coast branch of Kenya Utalii College (later renamed Ronald Ngala Utalii College) when he was a CS.
The court also ordered Odero to be released on a Sh3 million bond with a surety of a similar amount or Sh800,000.
Balala and the two arrived at the Malindi law courts in Government vehicles and there was heavy security guarding the premises.
Despite the heavy Security, the former CS greeted family members before him together with the two accomplices, who were all ushered into the court building and to the courtroom.
Balala and Gwiyo were charged that on December 13, 2010, within Mombasa County being the Minister and PS respectively in the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife jointly allegedly used their offices to confer a benefit to baseline Architects Limited Ujenzi consultants, Armitech consulting Engineering and Westconsult consulting Engineers by resolving to engage private consultants against a cabinet decision which led to the alleged irregular payment of Sh3.368,494,779.63 paid to the said firms.
The payment was reportedly made in respect of a request for a proposal for consultancy services for the design documentation supervision and contract management of the proposed Ronald Ngalla Utalii College(RNUC).
The court also issued a summons for those suspects still at large and set the case for mention on December 28, 2023.