This archive report was first published on 16 September 2021.
On September 16, 2021, the anti-corruption court handed down a six-year jail term to former Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario for abusing his office in connection to the Sh55 million Rio 2016 Olympics scandal.
However, the court gave Mr. Wario an option to pay a fine of Sh3.6 million, which he has chosen to do. In reaction to the verdict, Mr. Wario described it as 'excellent' and celebrated with a thumbs-up gesture.
His co-accused, Stephen arap Soi, the former National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Noc-K) official and Chef De Mission of Team Kenya at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil, was not as fortunate. He was slapped with a Sh105 million fine or serve 12 years in jail.
The two were found guilty of various offences related to the siphoning of millions of shillings meant for athletes who competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil. Mr. Wario was convicted of abusing his office by improperly conferring benefits to three people in the delegation that travelled to Rio in July 2016.
Mr. Soi, on the other hand, was found guilty of six counts of willful failure to comply with applicable procedures and guidelines relating to the management of public funds and abuse of office. The court heard that Mr. Soi had unlawfully approved payment in excess of $151,500 as allowances to the members of the team and authorised the cancellation of air tickets resulting in a loss of Sh9.7 million public funds.
