4 Taita Taveta county officials due in court as DPP approves graft charges

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has approved the prosecution of four senior officials from Taita Taveta County for allegedly embezzling over Ksh 7 million.

The officers are set to appear before the Mombasa Anti-Corruption Court to answer five charges, including abuse of office, forgery, engaging in a project without prior planning, conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, and uttering false documents.

The suspects are Thomas Jumwa, the current Economic Advisor to the Governor; Liverson Mghendi, former County Secretary; Leonard Langat, former Chief Officer of Finance; and Christine Wakera, former Chief Officer of Trade, Tourism & Cooperatives Development.

They were arrested on Tuesday by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

The officials are accused of defrauding the county under the pretext of commemorating the First World War between November 24 and 27, 2022.

According to EACC, investigations revealed that the alleged event was not included in the Annual Procurement Plan or budgeted for in the Financial Year 2022/23.

Additionally, procurement procedures were fraught with irregularities, as suppliers were paid despite not providing any services to the County Government, and the documents supporting these payments were forged.

The EACC has stated that it will file civil proceedings to recover the embezzled funds.