Homa Bay: EACC Recovers KSh 47m Stolen From County Assembly, Suspects Ordered To Repay With Interest

• Homa Bay County Assembly, holding an account with an Equity Bank branch, lost KSh 47 million between 2015 and 2017
• Implicated in the theft was the assembly's former clerk, Kephas Otieno, who masterminded it with the company of his wife, Evelyne Owino
• The Anti-Corruption court in Nairobi ordered the suspects to repay the loot with interest to cover for inflation

Nairobi - The Anti-Corruption Court housed in Milimani has sanctioned five suspects in a corruption case to return their loot with interest to cover for inflation.

The group stole KSh 47 million from the Homa Bay County Assembly between 2015 and 2017.

To mastermind the theft was the assembly's former clerk, Bob Kephas Otieno, who worked in cahoots with four others, including his wife Evelyne Owino.

The group, majorly constituted by the House's senior staffers, paid themselves the monies without supplying any service or goods to the assembly.

The assembly was holding an account with an Equity Bank branch whose manager at the time, David Obonyo, aided the theft, according to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Breakdown of KSh 47m stolen from Homa Bay County Assembly

Otieno received KSh 24 million, his wife KSh 1.7 million, and Caroline Chepkemoi, who at the time of the theft was the assembly's principal finance officer, earned KSh 3.9 million.

Others were Maurice Amek, senior accounts controller, who earned KSh 5 million and Dalima Entreprises, linked with Obonyo, which received KSh 12 million.

The EACC pestered them to return the funds.

Justice Esther Maina found merit in the evidence adduced in court by the anti-graft agency which unearthed the grand theft.

The court, in its verdict ordered the suspects to return the monies with interest to cover for the inflation from the time of loss to date.

Separately, Justice Maina had ordered the freezing of assets valued at KSh 537 million owned by a City Hall official.

The estate comprises ten vehicles and nine prime tracts in Siaya and Kisumu counties. Anti-corruption court's Justice Esther Maina ruled on Wednesday, May 24.

The official in question was Michael Auka Ajwang, a Nairobi County Purchasing Officer.

Unexplainable source of KSh 537m assets

Ajwang' could not convince the EACC about the source of his wealth, prompting Maina to give the verdict.

He was also barred from transferring and disposing of the said properties.

"Pending the hearing and determination of this suit, a temporary injunction is issued restraining the Defendants/Respondents by themselves, their servants, agents or any other person from demanding KSh 99,000 seized pursuant to a search conducted by the Plaintiff/Applicant in Miscellaneous Criminal Application Number E1773 of 2022," Maina ruled.

The orders would remain in force until the case was fully heard and determined.