This archive report was first published on 23 June 2020.
On June 22, 2020, the Anti-Corruption Court delivered a landmark ruling that may set a precedent for the fate of politicians accused of corruption.
Sirisia MP John Walukhe and his business associate Grace Wakhungu were found guilty of defrauding the State of Ksh 297 million after they altered an invoice and obtained the money from the National Cereals and Produce Board.
The court ruled that the two had obtained money by false pretense, a crime they allegedly committed in February 2009.
According to the charges, Walukhe and Wakhungu, as directors of Erad Suppliers & General Contractors Ltd, presented a false invoice as evidence in an arbitration dispute between them and NCPB.
They allegedly claimed that the invoice was to support the cost of storage of 40,000 metric tonnes of white maize, which was allegedly incurred by Chelsea Freight.
However, the court found that the money was paid to them in 2013, long after the alleged storage had taken place.
Magistrate Elizabeth Juma ruled that the two would be remanded at the Kileleshwa police station until their sentencing on June 25, 2020.
The ruling has sent shockwaves through Sirisia Constituency, with former MP aspirant Moses Nandalwe reportedly kneeling down in prayers upon hearing the news.
Nandalwe and Walukhe are fierce political opponents, and Nandalwe is likely to be the biggest beneficiary if IEBC orders for fresh elections in Sirisia.
