Activists want Senator Keroche's accounts frozen over alleged funds misuse

 

Nakuru Senator Tabitha Keroche adresses the media on the standoff at the Nakuru War memorial Hospital at Parliaments' media centre on Feb 2, 2024. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

The High Court gave Nakuru Senator Tabitha Keroche six days to respond to a petition seeking to have her bank accounts frozen over allegations of misuse of Sh8.3 million in public funds.

Justice Samwel Mohochi directed petitioners Benson Macharia and Simon Nasieku to serve the senator with the petition within three days.

Macharia and Nasieku have sued the senator, the Clerk of the Senate, the Senator’s Office Manager, and a manager of Equity Bank as respondents.

In their petition filed last Monday, the two want the court to order the freezing of the senator’s Equity Bank account at Nakuru Branch.

“The court should also order immediate freezing of other accounts until the petition is heard and determined,” they submitted.

The two want the court to restrain the Clerk of the Senate from releasing any more funds to the Senator through the accounts.

Further, they want an independent audit report on the operations of the bank account done by a Certified Public Accountant together with the Auditor General. “A criminal investigation report on the account should be furnished by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission,” they submitted.

Macharia said Keroche hired 11 oversight coordinators including him, between October 2023 and March 2024.

“The office is suspected to have forged documents showing that coordinators, including myself, were receiving salaries of more than Sh30,000 per month, yet we have never been paid,” he noted.

“The office is suspected to have forged documents showing that the coordinators, including myself, were receiving salaries of over Sh30,000 per month, yet we have never been paid,” he noted.

He said that the bank account registered under the County Senate Office Manager continues to operate despite the exhibition of deceit and fraudulent schemes to misuse public money.

The two claim that out of the Sh8.3 million, Sh2.1 million was allegedly used for coordinators’ salaries, Sh2.27 million for public engagement, Sh2.33 million for research and training and Sh1.6 million for printing and advertising.

“The money was labelled Financial Returns for oversight Kitty,” they note.

They attached bank statements, bank remittance receipts, self-assessment tax payment slips, public engagement payment vouchers, and salary payment vouchers among other documents.

Further, Macharia attached a payment schedule indicating his name as number two on the list of the 11 oversight coordinators.

The petition follows a probe by the EACC on the alleged misuse by the Senator.