12 NYS corruption suspects surrender to DCI, police hunting for 15 more

National youth Service Director General Richard Ndubai refuses to be handcuffed by a police officer at the Milimani law court accusing them of intimidation on May 29 2018. [Beverlyne Musili/Standard]

12 of the 27 suspects being sought by police over the National Youth Service Sh468 million scandal have this evening surrendered to authorities before a court deadline elapsed.

The 12 are part of a group of 54 individuals, including the Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Lillian Mbogo-Omollo and NYS Director General Richard Ndubai who were charged in court on Tuesday.

They include 40 public servants and 14 business operators.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigation George Kinoti confirmed the arrest of the 12 and warned the 15 still at large that their days are numbered.

“We have formed a special unit to track and arrest all the suspects named in the scandal and we are urging them to surrender because we will find and arrest them wherever they are,” said Kinoti.

He said the squad started looking for them last evening.

The suspects had until 2pm to present themselves DCI. Some of them surrendered in the company of their lawyers who were however turned away.

They were locked up at the Muthaiga and Gigiri police stations.

The directive to surrender was issued by a court after Office of the Director of Public Prosecution applied for warrants of arrest for the suspects who did not turn up in court to plead to the corruption charges.

The DPP asked that they be ordered to surrender to the DCI for processing before appearing in court.

Also wanted are listed directors of companies listed as having participated in the said deals.

This means they will also spend their Madaraka holiday and weekend in police custody until Monday since they have to be processed. Their accomplices are yet get their bails.

List of 12 out of 27 NYS corruption suspects who surrendered to authorities on May 31, 2018. [Courtesy]

The 10 companies involved are Annwaw Investment, Njewanga Investments, Arkroad Holdings Limited, Kunjiwa Enterprises, Ameri Trade Limited, Ngwiwaco Enterprises, Jerrycathy Enterprises, Fisrtling Supplies Limited, Kalabash Food Supplies Limited, and Ersatz Enterprises.

The 24—among them Ms Omollo and Ndubai—pleaded not guilty when they were arraigned before Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti on Tuesday.

Suspects who missed the court session were given more time to surrender even as the court directed that the pre-trial of those named in the mega scandal commences on Wednesday next week.

The ruling was made way past midnight after defence lawyers of suspects absent in court locked horns with the prosecution who sought warrants of arrests against them.

Ms Omollo and Ndubai pleaded not guilty to conspiring to commit corruption at the youth agency.

The two also denied abuse of office charges levelled against them by the prosecution over their alleged role in the payment of Sh468 million to 10 companies, which investigators said supplied neither goods nor services to the NYS.

Similar charges were denied by former Acting NYS Director-General Sammy Michuki as well as Senior Deputy Director Nicholas Ahere and Acting Director of Finance Wellington Lubira, who are among forty public servants accused of colluding to defraud the youth department.

Company directors and proprietors facing prosecutions are Anne Ngirita, Phyllis Njeri, Catherine Mwai, Antony Wamiti, James Thuita, Yvonne Ngugi, Jeremiah Ngirita, Lucy Ngirita, Andrine Nyambura, Catherine Kamuyu, Serah Muguru, Samwel Kanai, and James Katululu.

The Magistrate is set to rule on applications for bail by the 24 suspects who appeared in court on Tuesday next week with pre-trials for those charged in the NYS saga set commence on Wednesday.