The prosecution Wednesday detailed in court how the Ngirita
family were paid Sh226.9 million from the National Youth Service (NYS)
without supplying a single item or service.
Assistant
Director of Public Prosecutions Gitonga Riungu said there was proof the
family never tendered for the goods and services they allegedly
supplied.
At the accounts department, payment would be
logged in as due to the suppliers, and a chain of approvals sought from
former finance director Wellington Lubira, senior assistant accountant
general Sammy Mwangi, NYS director-general Richard Ndubai and finally to
sacked Public Service PS Ms Lillian Omollo ahead of payment, the
prosecution said.
It said that no procurement was undertaken at NYS and the alleged goods and services supplied, was “air”.
Mssrs
Lubira, Mr Mwangi, Mr Ndubai and Ms Omollo are among civil servants and
business people charged with theft of public funds through fictitious
invoices for goods such as firewood and stationery as well as multiple
payments on one supplier invoice.
Taking advantage
Mr
Riungu told Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti that the suspects took
advantage of the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO)
to facilitate the crimes.
AGPO was meant to give
opportunities to vulnerable people including women, the youth and the
disabled. The government had reserved 30 percent of all procurements to
the groups.
The prosecution alleged that the provisions on and usage of
pending bills were illegally invoked to create fictitious bills, fake
supplies by made-up entities while leaving out genuine pending bills,
which some remain unpaid to date.
The Ngiritas were at
the centre of this fraudulent scheme through their firms Ngiwaco,
Waluko, Njewanga, Jerrycathy Enterprises and Annwaw, which received the
Sh226.9 million. Payments were backdated for quick payments to the
Ngiritas.
Annwaw belongs to Ms Ann Wambere Wanjiku who
allegedly received Sh59.8 million while Waluko belongs to her mother
Lucy Wambui, while Jeremiah Gichini Ngirita owned Jerrycathy Enterprises
that is said to have banked Sh72.2 million.
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