Former Youth Entreprise Development Fund CEO Catherine Namuye and chairman Bruce Odhiambo have been released on Sh5 million bond each after denying Sh180 million fraud charges.
Their co-accused Mukuria Ngamau and Doreen Waithera were released on the same bond. Odhiambo and Namuye were granted an alternative Sh2 million bail each. Ngamau and Waithera, said to be a couple and directors of Quorandum Ltd, were granted Sh1 million bail each.
The magistrate directed the accused to deposit all their travel documents with the court, saying the court is duty bound to consider the nature and gravity of the charges.
Defence lawyers led by Apollo Mboya opposed the directive, saying the state has not given any compelling reasons why they should deposit the documents. They were allowed to appeal.
According to the charge sheet, the accused persons, some of them former top officials of the YEDF, jointly conspired and unlawfully paid Sh180 million to Quorandum Ltd for services not rendered.
It is alleged that on December 23 last year, Mukuria and Waithera, being directors of Quorandum, unlawfully received Sh115 million from the Fund to an account number held at Chase Bank for services not rendered. On May 4, they again unlawfully received Sh64 million from the Fund to the same account number at Chase Bank.
Namuye faces a separate charge of abuse of office. She denied accusations of improperly conferring a benefit to Quorandum Ltd by unlawfully executing a contract between the Fund and the company for Sh114 million.
The money was paid for alleged provision of consultancy services on design of specifications for an enterprise resource planning.
