- Third accused, Jacinta Wanjiku Wambugu, Nyoike's wife, did not appear in court after she reportedly fell ill on Sunday night.
- Two other accused persons are Alfred Hinga, a brother to Nyoike, and Peter Ndichu Kinyanjui.
Kenya Ports Authority finance manager Patrick Nyoike and clerical officer Isaac Obunga who were arrested on Sunday over an alleged Sh215 million scandal were released on Sh5 million bond or Sh2 million bail each.
They were arraigned in Mombasa on Monday and denied the charges.
A third accused person, Nyoike's wife Jacinta Wanjiku Wambugu, did not appear in court after she reportedly fell ill on Sunday night. She was rushed to Mombasa Hospital and got admitted.
Mombasa chief magistrate Edna Nyaloti ordered that a doctor attending to Wambugu appear before the court on Tuesday.
Two other accused persons in the case, Alfred Hinga, a brother to Nyoike, and Peter Ndichu Kinyanjui, could not appear before the court because they were in Nairobi.
The court ordered that the Director of Public Prosecutions makes it possible for the two to appear before the Mombasa court.
State counsel Alloys Kemo had applied to have summonses of arrest issued against the two, but defense counsel Jared Magolo opposed the application, saying the accused could not come to Mombasa due to the order on cessation of movement imposed in Nairobi and Mombasa counties.
Nyoike, his wife and the three others are accused that on diverse dates between October 2014 and March 2017, they unlawfully handled Sh215, 098, 340 made to Nyali Capital Limited by KPA.
Nyoike’s wife is the general manager of Nyali Capital Limited, whereas Hinga and Kinyanjui are directors of the company.
Nyoike and Obunga, who are employees of KPA, are also accused of abuse of office for creating Nyali Capital Limited as a vendor in the KPA supplier relationships management system without following the due procedure set out in the KPA quality management system.
“Patrick Nyoike used his office to improperly confer a benefit of Sh215,098,340.80 to Nyali Capital Limited by approving creating of Nyali Capital Limited as a vendor in the KPA,” the charges read.
Nyoike was also charged with failure to disclose a private interest in Nyali Capital Limited, which is managed by his wife.
Wambugu, Hinga, Kinyanjui and Nyali Capital Ltd were accused of receiving Sh215,098,340.80 from KPA, which they had a reason to believe was acquired as a result of corrupt conduct.
Nyoike is among the 10 former and current managers at KPA who have applied for the position of KPA managing director that is still vacant after Daniel Manduku resigned in March.
This is a blow to Nyoike, who was touted as one of the front runners, as criminal charges against him will slow his race towards the big seat.
Nyoike and Vincent Sidai, the general manager for infrastructure and development, were seen as likely successors of Manduku.
Edited by Henry Makori