After Kilifi governor loss, Jumwa now fights fraud case in court

A Mombasa court has declined to lift a warrant of arrest issued on Monday against outgoing Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa after she failed to appear in a corruption case.

Ms Jumwa’s lawyer, Jared Magolo, unsuccessfully explained to Mombasa Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku that the politician, who lost the race for Kilifi governor, was sick and had been advised to take bed rest.

Mr Magolo produced a medical document in court indicating that Ms Jumwa was ill.

But the magistrate declined to lift the warrant, noting that it would only be suspended when Ms Jumwa presented herself in court.

The court has said Ms Jumwa’s bond and cash bail risk being forfeited to the state if she fails to appear in court in person next week.

Ms Jumwa and six others are accused of conspiracy to commit fraud through the payment of Sh19 million to Multiserve Contractors for tender number MLD/NG-CDF/01/2017/2018 of the Malindi NG-CDF.

Her co-accused are Wachu Omar, Kennedy Otieno, Bernard Riba, Sophia Saidi, Margaret Kalume, Robert Katana and Multiserve Contractors.

The offence is alleged to have been committed between May 14 and October 12, 2018 in Malindi sub-county, Kilifi County.

Ms Jumwa is also charged with conflict of interest, acquisition of proceeds of crime and money laundering

The court also heard that between May 25 and May 29, 2018 at the Malindi NG-CDF offices, Mr Otieno, Mr Riba, Ms Saidi and Ms Kalume, as tender evaluation committee members, failed to comply with procurement laws regarding the same tender.

Mr Omar, a fund account manager at the Malindi NG-CDF offices, is also charged with two counts of failing to comply with procurement laws.

Mr Katana is charged with three counts of forgery and uttering a forged document and fraudulent acquisition of public property.

The hearing of the corruption case had been scheduled for this week.

Ms Jumwa also faced a murder case in the Mombasa High Court. She is charged alongside her aide Geoffrey Otieno Okuto with the murder of ODM supporter Jola Ngumbao.

Mr Ngumbao died at a Malindi hospital in 2019 after being shot in the shoulder during campaigns for the Ganda ward by-election.

The two allegedly committed the offence on October 15, 2019.

But they have denied the charge.

Four months ago, the court postponed the graft case against Ms Jumwa to August 15 to allow her to concentrate on her election campaign for the Kilifi governor’s seat.

Ms Jumwa, through her lawyer Dunstan Omari, had said she needed more time because the campaigns were hectic and chaotic.

She had hoped to succeed outgoing Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket but lost to Gideon Mung'aro of ODM, who received 143,773 votes.

Ms Jumwa came in second with 65,893 votes.

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