This archive report was first published on 22 June 2020.
Sirisia MP John Waluke, Ex-CS's Mother Guilty of Maize Fraud ¶
Published on June 22, 2020
Sirisia MP John Waluke and his co-director Grace Wakhungu will spend the next three days in police custody after being found guilty of fraudulently receiving over Sh300 million from the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).
Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Juma ruled that the two be held at Kileleshwa police station until Thursday when she will sentence them for defrauding the NCPB.
The court found that the duo presented a false invoice of $1,146,000 (Sh115,072,725) on February 24, 2009, as evidence in an arbitration dispute between the company and NCPB.
They allegedly obtained Sh297,386,505 on March 19, 2013, for loss of profit and interest allegedly incurred by Chelsea Freight, a South African firm, and were paid Sh13,364,671 in June 2013.
The magistrate stated that the Ministry of Agriculture had instructed NCPB to purchase 2 million bags of maize for famine relief and strategic grain reserve in a letter dated July 19, 2004.
The court heard that the two used an invalid tender security bid to get the contract and the company should never have been evaluated.
Ms Juma ruled that the prosecution had proved all the charges against Mr Waluke and Ms Wakhungu, and they were found guilty of three counts of obtaining money by false pretences and five counts including a charge of perjury.
