- The 12 are also directors in six firms that received the payments without supplying anything.
- Investigations have been underway since last year.
Image: EZEKIEL AMING'A
Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji has approved charges against 12 Finance Department employees of the Kenya School of Law over illegal payments of Sh198 million.
The DPP directed the police to arrest the suspects, some of them very senior, and arraign them on various charges under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003.
The payments were allegedly made to six firms - Infranc Investments, Deskench Investments, Firmline Company, Frigoya Investments, Ngoya Cosmetics and Ademwa Enterprises.
On Tuesday, Haji said approval for prosecution of the staff followed months of investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.
Those facing arrest include Finance manager Frank Kackson Were, accountant Hudson Amwai (who is also the proprietor of Ademwa Enterprises), assistant accountants Achiro Nobert and Ephrahim Thuku.
Others are assistant director of Finance and Administration Amos Kabue Mwangi and Deputy Director-CEO Morris Kiwida Mbondenyi, Paul Lovi, Frida Ngoyaa, Francis, Mwaki, Alfred Murange, Dennis Achiro ad Kennieth Ochieng.
The investigations revealed the companies benefitted from the funds meant for the supply of goods and services that were never delivered, Haji said.
In a statement, the DPP said the listed companies associated with the senior employees of KSL were not pre-qualified to supply the goods and services to Kenya School of Law.
The EACC had on May 17 forwarded the investigation file and report with recommendations that the suspects be charged with various offences.
After reviewing the inquiry file, the DPP returned it to the EACC, citing deficiencies and gaps that needed to be covered.
The same file was resubmitted on December 13, 2019, but it was again returned with questions.
"On June 9, 2020, the EACC resubmitted the file with all the outstanding areas having been covered,” Haji said.
The DPP said the fraud was executed by bank signatories to the KSL accounts who were senior employees of the institution’s Finance Department.
The LSK employees would sign for different entities to be paid in the cheque endorsement register and the bank staff effected the payments, he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)