Top port manager charged with Sh214m fraud

General Manager Finance, Patrick Wambugu Nyoike

The Kenya Ports Authority General Manager in charge of finance Patrick Wambugu Nyoike and his colleague Isaac Obunga who were arrested on Sunday by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have been charged before Chief Magistrate Ednar Nyaloti for Sh214 million corrupt related scandal.

The two have been released on a Sh2 Million cash bail each or a surety of 5million. The General Manager’s wife who is said to be sick will appear in court on Tuesday.

EACC is still looking for the other two suspects one being Alfred Hinga Nyoike who is the brother and Peter Ndichu Kinyanjui.

The crime is said to have been committed between October 2014 and March 2017. The manager, however, says the case is related to succession politics at the port after its Managing Director Gideon Manduku resigned.

The Ethics and Antic-corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Finance Manager Patrick Nyoike over irregular payment of Sh214 million to Nyali Capital after Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji approved the charges.

The arrest comes after a press statement from the DPP stating that EACC had been investigating claims that KPA paid Sh214, 548, 340.80 to Nyali Capital Ltd (NCL), which is associated with Mr Nyoike.

According to DPP’s statement, the KPA boss had an interest in the company hence this made the payment to raise eyebrows.

“It was further alleged that the General Manager Finance, Patrick Wambugu Nyoike had interests in Nyali Capital Limited where his wife Jacinta Wanjiku Wambugu and brother Alfred Hinga Nyoike worked as General Manager and Director respectively,” DPP reveals. The transactions are reported to have taken place from October 2014 to March 2017.

After the investigations, the EACC preferred charges against the KPA boss as per the Anti-corruption and Economic Crimes Act 2003.

DPP further argues that Mr Nyoike failed to disclose his relationship with NCL bosses Mr Hinga and Mrs Wambugu hence this demonstrated conflict of interest on his part. DPP also nails down KPA Clerical Officer Isaac Obunga on grounds that he acted as a conduit between KPA and NCL even though there was no legal business relationship warranting the transaction.
 

Related Topics

EACC KPA Fraud