• The two, David Maina Kiama and Jane Waigwe Kimani were not present in court last week during the plea of other co-accused persons.
• Kiama was said to be in Northern Tanzania and Jane was ill.
Image: The Star
Two suspects who allegedly conspired with former Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria in Sh351 million graft case will today appear in court for plea taking.
The two, David Maina Kiama and Jane Waigwe Kimani were not present in court last week during the plea of other co-accused persons.
Kiama was said to be in Northern Tanzania and Jane was ill.
The court deferred their plea taking to May 7 and ordered that Jane present in court medical documents to substantiate her illness and Kiama to deposit his travel documents to prove he was indeed in Tanzania.
Other accused persons took a plea on Monday and were released on bail.
Wa Iria was granted a Sh20 million bond and a surety of a similar amount.
Wa Iria denied the charges of irregularly awarding contracts to Top Image Media Consultants Limited amounting to Sh351 million.
As an alternative to the bond, Anti-Corruption Court magistrate Thomas Nzyuki gave him the option of depositing Sh10 million cash bail.
His co-accused, David Njeri and Solomon Kimani, were released on a bond of Sh5 million and Sh7 million respectively.
At the same courts, the Anti-Corruption court will rule whether to release on bail a businessman who allegedly conspired to defraud Kenyans by selling fake fertilizer in Sh209million case.
Josiah Kariuki who is said to be the director of Fifty-One Capital Limited and SBL Innovate Manufacturers Limited, will appear before principal magistrate Celesa Okore.
He denied the charges of conspiracy to defraud, and forgery among other charges.
In the first count, he is accused that jointly with others not before the court, he conspired with intent to defraud Kenyan farmers, selling a total of 139,688 bags of 25 Kgs each of soil amendment and conditioner valued at Sh209,532,000 purporting it to be a genuine fertilizer a fact they knew to be false.
He allegedly committed the offence on March 31, 2022, at Kenya National Cereals and Produce Board Headquarters in Nairobi City within Nairobi County.
In another count, Kariuki was accused that on January 12, 2023, at an unknown place within the country, jointly with others not before court with intent to deceive Kenya Bureau of Standards Nakuru Region offices, forged an agreement namely value-adding soil amendment and conditioner to organic fertilizer and animal supplement.
He allegedly purported it to be a genuine valid agreement signed between SBL Innovate Manufacturers Ltd and African Diatomite Industries Limited.