2 charged over fake Sh180m laptops tender for Ruto's office
Makindu Motors Limited's directors Solomon Mwema and Charles Kamolo Musinga in the dock on march 13, 2020 over the Sh180 million laptops scandal that rocked Deputy President William Ruto office between May and August 2018. PHOTO | RICHARD MUNGUTI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Two businessmen were charged on Friday with offering fake tender documents for supply of 2,800 laptops valued at Sh180 million under Deputy President William Ruto's name.
- Court documents indicate that the two obtained the HP laptops from Makindu Motors along the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway, claiming they had a genuine tender document from the DP’s office.
The office of the Deputy President has once again been dragged into a multi-million shilling tender scandal involving supply of laptops.
Two businessmen were charged on Friday with offering fake tender documents for supply of 2,800 laptops valued at Sh180 million, under Deputy President William Ruto's name.
Charles Kamolo Musinga and Solomon Mwema, directors of Makindu Motors Limited, were arrested on Thursday and locked up at Parliament Police Station.
They are accused of forging a Local Purchase Order (LPO) with intent to defraud a trader.
They purported that the document was genuine and was signed and issued by a procurement officer at the DP's office identified only as Mr Mulinge.
THE CHARGES
Court documents indicate that the two obtained the HP laptops from Makindu Motors along the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway, claiming they had a genuine tender document from the DP’s office.
The two allegedly committed the offences between May 30 and August 12, 2018 in Nairobi with others being tried at the Milimani chief magistrate's court.
Mr Musinga and Mr Mwema faced three counts of conspiracy to defraud, making a false document and obtaining goods by false pretences.
They denied the charges before Senior Principal Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot and were each released on Sh500,000 cash bail or Sh2 million bond with sureties of the same amount.
This was after their lawyer Winnie Nyamai told the court that they are prosecution witnesses in a case before Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku.
Ms Nyamai told the court that her clients' arraignment was delayed as they were arrested a day before.
SHENANIGAN
The magistrate did not comment on the matter of the accused being state witnesses.
Regarding the delayed presentation in court, Mr Cheruiyot said it is "a shenanigan that should stop" as it is aimed at using the courts to ensure suspects remain in custody.
He said the case will be mentioned on March 24 for consolidation with the one before Ms Mutuku.
In that case, Mr Daddy Awiti is facing two charges of conspiring to defraud and obtaining goods by false pretence.
