Ex-Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, former MP charged afresh in Sh58m City Hall fraud case
Former Nairobi City County Governor Evans Kidero. Dr Kidero and his 12 co-accused have been charged afresh in a Sh58 City Hall fraud.
A former Nairobi governor, Dr Evans Kidero, a former city MP, a former mayor and six former chief accountants have been charged with defrauding City Hall of Sh58 million nine years ago.
Dr Kidero, who was among the 50 CAS whose appointment by President William Ruto was quashed by the High Court, was re-arraigned before Milimani Anti-Corruption Chief Magistrate Felix Kombo.
Dr Kidero was jointly charged with former Embakasi Central MP John Ndirangu, former councillor Paul Mutunga Mutungi, former Nairobi County Chief of Staff George Wainaina Njogu and six former senior accountants at the City Hall.
The former accountants charged are Ng'ang'a Mungai Ng'ang'a alias Ng'ang'alito, Ekaya Alumasi Ghonzour alias Alumasie, James Mimi Mbugua alias JMbugua, Elizabeth Wanjiru Nderitu alias Nderitue and Alive Njeri Mundia alias Mundiaa.
A sixth former accountant, Philomena Kavinya Nzuki alias PKNzuki, was not in court on Friday because she is bereaved.
Others charged are The CUPS Limited and its two directors John Ngari Wainana and Njogu.
Dr Kidero and his 12 co-accused denied fifteen charges of conspiracy to commit economic crimes, abuse of office, unlawful acquisition of public property and money laundering.
The former county boss and the 12 others denied conspiring to commit corruption between January 6 and 16 in 2014 to defraud Nairobi City County of Sh58 million.
Kariuki, who is also a former mayor of Nairobi, was charged with illegally receiving Sh8.9 million from the late lawyer Stephen Kariuki Mburu, who was a partner at Wachira, Mburu, Mwangi and Company Advocates, the law firm at the centre of the multi-million shilling fraud at City Hall.
Both Kidero and Kariuki have been charged with participating in an unlawful agreement to purchase a parcel of land LR. no 10874/1160 (original number10874/17/2) valued at Sh25,735,000.
The charge further alleges that a down payment of Sh17 million was deposited at the Mburu law firm towards the purchase of the land, knowing that the money was part of the Sh58 million illegally siphoned from Nairobi County.
Dr Kidero was separately charged with unlawful acquisition of Sh14.4 million from -The CUPS Limited, which funds were part of the Sh58 million unlawfully paid by Nairobi City County to the law firm of Wachira, Mburu Mwangi and Company Advocates.
Dr Kidero, together with Wainaina Njogu, John Ngari Wainaina and Cups Limited were charged with conspiring to engage in a fraudulent scheme to transfer Sh14 million to Sagar Builders Limited in respect of services rendered for the sale of a Riverside Property in Nairobi known as plot number 205 /46 using proceeds of crime.
The accountants were charged with conferring a benefit of Sh58 million on the law firm of Wachira, Mburu, Mwangi and Company Advocates on January 6, 2014 by unlawfully processing the payment of the said amount.
Njogu, Wainaina and The Cups Limited were accused of unlawfully receiving Sh15 million from the Mburu law firm through the now deceased Advocate Kariuki as part of the Sh58 million from Nairobi County.
Further, a former county councillor Mr Mutungi was accused of receiving Sh5 million as part of the Ksh58 million and allegedly laundering Sh2 million to pay a debt through Mwamuye Kimathi Law Firm and Kimani Company Advocates as proceeds of crime.
The last charge is against Hannah Muthoni Kariuki who has denied illegally receiving Ksh 5.5 million from the deceased lawyer who deposited Sh58 million illegally siphoned off from Nairobi County.
After denying the charges against her, State Prosecutor James Kihara did not oppose her release on bail earlier granted by the court.
The defence team led by Tom Ojienda and Julie Sowete urged the court to release them on similar bail earlier granted by magistrate Douglas Ogoti in 2019.
Mr Kombo released all the accused persons who had earlier been granted bail in the sum of Sh5 million each.
The magistrate, who is on transfer, directed the parties to appear before Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzyoki on October 6, 2023 for allocation of court and fixing of trial dates.
Kombo also ordered Kidero's co-accused, Philomena Kavinya Nzuki alias PK Nzuki, a former City Hall accountant accused of transferring Ksh58 million to Kariuki's law firm, to appear before Nzyoki for plea.
This was after she failed to appear in court following the death of her son.
Kidero and his co-accused were charged after they failed to stop their prosecution in the High Court.
