Oct152021

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) claims that Migori Governor Okoth Obado
looted Sh2.6 billion from the county government coffers during his first term in office.
The details emerged on Thursday before the Anti-Corruption Court when the Commission
through its investigator Robert Ronoh, who was testifying in the graft case facing the governor,
his four children and 11 associates, presented its case.
In his testimony, Ronoh said the Commission in 2017 received a complaint from an unnamed
informant over misappropriation of funds amounting to Sh2.6 billion paid to 23 companies.
However, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has charged the county boss with
embezzlement of Sh73.4 million.
“We received information from the intelligence department of the EACC that there was
misappropriation of public money at Migori county government where by companies that are
associated with Obado family members were awarded tenders to the tune of Sh2.6 billion
between financial year 2013-2014 to 2016-2017,”
Trial magistrate Lawrence Mugambi heard that following the huge amount of money involved,
the complaint was forwarded to the commission intelligence for further investigation and action.
The investigating officer claimed the 23 companies of interest were registered a few months after
the 2013 General Election when Obado was elected as governor.
He took the court through a payment schedule listing the companies in questions and amounts
each received from the county government which was generated from the Integrated Financial
Management System (IMFS) during initial investigations in the matter.
Ronoh told the court that their efforts to gather documentary evidence in the graft case were
frustrated by the County Secretary Christopher Rusana, who delayed in supplying the request for
the documentary evidence.He said the investigations narrowed down on several companies to
proceed with speed and focus on specific companies that were related to Kwaga which were
owned by him, his boss, brothers, mother, and sister in law. However, the officer was stood
down after the defense team objected to have him produce in court some documents on how the
firms were incorporated.
Defense lawyers led by Kioko Kilukumi and George Kithi opposed to Ronoh’s documents
saying that they do not have the same.This prompted the magistrate to postpone the case to
Tuesday next week and order the defense lawyers to file a formal application on the issue of
documents.