Eight Senior Officers To Vacate Office Over Economic Crimes.
By Ongori Keragori
Services at the Nyamira County Government may be disrupted after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) approved corruption and economic crimes charges against eight key management officials.
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The DPP has preferred charges against County Chief Officer for Roads, Josphat Oruru, and seven management staff at the County Assembly, one of them posthumously.
Oruru was arrested at his residence in Menyinkwa Estate in Kisii Town at dawn by detectives and presented before the Keroka Law Courts, where he denied charges linked to the collapse of a multi-million-shilling Assembly office block.
He was released on a Sh500,000 cash bail, and his passport was surrendered pending the hearing and determination of the case.
Six other suspects, including County Assembly Clerk Duke Onyari, are on the run, while a seventh, Enock Nyakundi, died in a road accident more than six years ago.
Before his death, Nyakundi served as Head of Human Resources at the Assembly.
Police are pursuing Onyari and his deputies—Leonard Nyamasege (Finance and Accounts) and David Ombego (Legislative and Procedure Services).
Nyamasege also serves as Director of Financial Services, while Ombego doubles as Director of Legal Services.
Others charged include Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Joyce Onyiego and Works Officers Eric Ayuka and Simon Ondari.
Ayuka has reportedly been bedridden for nearly two years.
At the time of the tender award, Onyiego was Director of Procurement.
Former Assembly Clerk Daniel Orina, Head of Public Works David Nyaberi, and Procurement Officer Jeremiah Bosire have been listed as key prosecution witnesses.
The case is being prosecuted by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions J.K. Chirchir.
The accused officers have been directed to present themselves at the nearest police station for processing and arraignment.
Once formally charged, the law requires them to step aside until the case is heard and determined.
Onyari faces abuse of office charges for allegedly awarding a tender between May 23 and June 13, 2018, for the construction of the County Assembly office block to Jetta Builders Ltd, despite the firm not being the lowest evaluated bidder—allegedly conferring a Sh30 million benefit.
He also faces a second count of willful failure to comply with laws governing the management of public funds.
The other officials—Nyamasege, Ombego, Onyiego, Nyakundi, Ayuka, and Ondari—who were members of the tender evaluation committee, face similar charges for recommending the award of the tender to Jetta Builders.
Oruru faces a separate charge of neglect of official duty. Prosecutors allege that in May 2018, while serving as County Director for Roads and Structures, he failed to ensure proper structural design of the project’s canopy, leading to its collapse. He had approved the structural drawings for the office block.
The case will be mentioned on April 13 for further directions.
The matter has been under investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for over eight years.
Nyamira County has recently been rocked by leadership wrangles, including the impeachment of Assembly Speaker Enock Okero and three failed attempts to impeach Governor Amos Nyaribo over allegations of financial impropriety and abuse of office.
The prosecution of the officials is expected to temporarily affect operations in key departments such as finance and roads.
