This archive report was first published on 10 January 2020.
On January 9, 2020, Joseph Motari, the former Nakuru County Secretary, appeared before Principal Magistrate Bernard Mararo at the Nakuru Law Courts.
According to the charge sheet, Motari appointed Johnson Kamau as the director of the Department of Environment, Natural Resources, Energy and Water in February 2016 without adhering to the proper recruitment procedures.
Lawyers Tom Ojienda, Harry Gakinya, and David Mongeri represented Motari and requested that he be released on a free bond, citing that he was not a flight risk and was a senior citizen who would diligently attend court.
However, the prosecution objected to the defence team's application, and the court directed Motari's release on a Sh500,000 bond with a surety of a similar amount or cash bail of Sh100,000.
Motari's arrest and arraignment were the culmination of a seven-year probe into a recruitment scandal that rocked the administration of former Governor Kinuthia Mbugua, resulting in the alleged loss of Sh26 million through illegal hiring and promotion of workers.
The case will be mentioned on January 17, 2020.
