A forensic analyst at the anti-graft agency on Monday tabled documents showing Sh73 million was paid to Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal from the county.
The money was paid to one of his companies— Oryx Service Station — for a period of five years.
Lenolkulal has been charged with four counts of abuse of office and conflict of interest leading to the loss of Sh84 million of public funds.
He is accused of using Oryx Service Station to supply petrol and diesel to the county. The charge sheet indicates Lenolkulal "knowingly acquired a direct private interests in contracts between Oryx and Samburu for the supply of fuel”.
On Monday, Alex Kinyanjui, an analytical forensic at the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission, told magistrate Thomas Nzioki that data from Ifmis system showed payment by Samburu county to Oryx Service Station from August 22, 2014 to January 16, 2019, amounted to Sh73 million. The invoice was, however, indicated as Sh76 million.
The witness also cited M-Pesa messages ranging from February 2017 to February 2019 from the governor's iPhone. He said one Hesbon Ndathi, an accused person in the case, sent to the governor monies in 14 different transactions.
The governor had saved the number of Hesbon as ‘Hotel Wachira spear’.
Kinyanjui told the court they had several exhibits submitted to their lab for examination.
He said from the exhibits, there was a memo recovered in the governor’s office, in which he was asked to extract all data pertaining to financial assets. Other exhibits included an Apple iphone, Samsung mobile and a HP laptop.
Kinyanjui is the tenth prosecution witness in the case.
The governor, businessman Hesbon Ndathi, and nine others are linked to the Sh84.7 million-fuel-supply scandal in which Oryx Service Station was given a tender to supply the county government against the law.
It is alleged they committed the offence between March 27, 2013 and March 25, 2019 at Maralal town.
Lenolkulal and Wachira face another count of unlawful acquisition of the Sh84.6 million from the county government.
-Edited by SKanyara
