Prisons cleaner accused of buying maisonette to launder Sh17 million

Erick Kipkirui at a Milimani court on July 19, 2024. [Collins Kweyu, Standard] 

Multimillionaire prisons cleaner Eric Kipkirui Mutai and his bosses were on Friday charged with corruptly receiving Sh301.9 million from the State Department for Correctional Services for “supplying air”.

Appearing before Anti-Corruption Magistrate Celesa Okore, Mutai and his co-accused denied 68 corruption charges of conspiracy to commit an economic crime, abuse of office and money laundering.

Mutai who is a cleaner at the correctional facility for seven years was charged alongside assistant director of supply chain management services, Mageto Omari Mireiri, chief finance officer Sarah Kemunto, principal accountant Joseph Kamau, accountant Moses Juma Sirengo and businesswoman Maureen Ndungwa Mwikya, the director of  Reen East Africa Company.

Mutai is a director of three companies, namely Homes Logistics Enterprise, Hygienic Ventures, and Unique Supplies Limitedi.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), through Celestine Oluoch, filed 68 charges against the six together with Deputy Commissioner General of Prisons Benjamin Obuya Njonga, a prison warder, and several other accused persons at the state agency who did not appear in court.

The suspects were charged with conspiring to fraudulently acquire public funds of Sh301,908,000 for goods not supplied to several Nairobi prisons. They are alleged to have committed the offences on diverse dates between July 1, 2014, and March 29, 2018, in Nairobi County.

Mutai also faced three charges of fraudulently acquiring Sh62.5 million through Homex Logistics Enterprises, Sh51 million through Hygienic Ventures, and Sh73 million through Unique Supplies Limited on diverse dates between May 5, 2017 and June 16, 2017.

The court heard that between August 29 and June 14 2017, Mutai being a cleaning supervisor II at the State Department for Correctional Services and the sole proprietor of Hygienic Ventures, Homex Logistics Enterprises and Unique Supplies; together with prison Warder Joseph Ochoki Omaiyo attached to the State Department for Correctional Services, engaged in an arrangement for the purchase of a maisonette situated in parcel of land L.R No.20857/62 from Ephraim Kabage Wanjohi and Mary Wanjohi while knowing that Sh17,500,000 being part of monies received from State Department for Correctional Services by Hygienic Ventures, Homex Logistics and Unique Supplies and paid as payment for the purchase of the said maisonette formed part of proceeds of crime, whose effect was to disguise the source of the said money.

Mirieri, an assistant director of supply chain management services, was charged that between August  29, 2016, and  June 15, 2017 at the State Department for Correctional Services abused his office by improperly conferring a benefit to Mutai’s three companies at a total of Sh186,905,500 being payment for goods not supplied to the prisons department.

He also faced another count of abusing his office by conferring a benefit of Sh4,780,000 to Ndungwa’s firm namely Reenn East Africa Company in 2018 when she had supplied nothing at the state agency.

“Between  April 20, 2017 and November 20 2017 within the Republic of Kenya, Mirieri being an assistant director supply chain management services at the State Department for Correctional Services used your office to improperly confer a benefit of Sh25,650,000 to Castro Suppliers, being payment for goods not supplied to the State Department for Correctional Services,” the court heard.

Kimunto is said to have authorized the payment of over Sh180 million to Mutai and Ndungwa’s companies for goods not supplied at the facility.

Okore freed the accused on a cash bail of Sh4 million each with an alternative bond of Sh7 million with one surety. The case will be mentioned on August 2.