Last pitch against ex-DC charged with Sh8m fraud

By VINCENT MABATUK

The prosecution will today wind up submissions in a case where a former District Commissioner has been charged with embezzling over Sh8.7 million meant for IDPs.

The prosecution has already called 44 witnesses, with the last two expected to testify today.

Former DC Javan Ombasso Sagero faces the charge alongside Molo District IDPs chairman Paul Mogire Sindani, who also faces nine counts of fraud.

Sagero is accused of providing false returns on the money that he received in support of the IDPs. He also faces a charge of including fake IDPs. 

Sindani faces 10 counts of forging 10 receipts, purporting them to be genuine acknowledgment for the payment of Sh25,000 to 10 people.

The accused are alleged to have committed the offences between March 10, 2009, and April 22, 2009.

Sagero is out on a cash bail of Sh1 million.

A 43rd witness yesterday told a Nakuru court how Njoro DO Esther Maina received more than Sh8 million meant for the compensation of post-election violence victims in Molo from Thika DC John Litunda.

Former IDP co-ordinator with the Ministry of Special Programmes, Aloice Lentoimanga, now MP for Samburu North, said he was not aware of the origin of the cash.

Steve Orina, the accused’s lawyer, said it was strange for a DC from Thika to have accessed the money while there was a DC for Molo. The court learned that Julius Kavita was the Molo DC at that time.