This archive report was first published on 20 August 2019.
Published on August 20, 2019, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has weighed in on the recent court decision in the National Youth Service (NYS) scandal. The court charged Josephine Kabura and 10 others with laundering approximately 790 million shillings in NYS funds.
Waiguru took to her Facebook page to express her thoughts on the case, stating, 'This took a while… it’s been a long time coming… but here it is! May justice be our shield and defender. Still waiting for her to be charged for swearing a false affidavit and charges against her promoters,'
The government has charged Josephine Kabura and Ben Gethi, two key suspects in the NYS scandal, with money laundering. Kabura, Gethi, and eight others were charged on Tuesday morning for laundering approximately 791 million shillings in 2016, in a scandal that resulted in the country losing nearly 2 billion shillings.
The charge sheet presented in court revealed that between December 2014 and May 2015, Kabura, Gethi, and Patrick Ogola Onyango arranged to transfer 90 million shillings to a K-Rep Bank account belonging to Patrick Onyango Ogolla and Advocates. According to the prosecution, this was done with the knowledge that the money was stolen from the National Youth Service.
The three suspects have been released on a 300,000 shilling bond. The state had lined up 35 witnesses but only nine have testified in court. The DPP stated that they do not intend to recall the witnesses who have testified, as they have gathered enough evidence for the case.
Seven of the 20 companies used to siphon 1.2 billion shillings from the National Youth Service were listed among those eligible for preferential access to government tenders. These companies, all registered under the name of chief NYS scam suspect Josephine Kabura, were listed under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) register of firms owned by marginalized groups.
