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Corruption charges against Public Service and Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa have been dropped due to lack of evidence.
However, seven other accused persons will be charged afresh.
Wachu Omar, Kennedy Otieno, Benard Rimba, Sophia Saidi, Margaret Faith, Robert Katana and Multiserve Contractors Limited took plea after the prosecution amended the charge sheet.
The accused persons appeared before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku and denied conspiring to commit fraud through the payment of Sh19,00,59.60 to Multiserve Contractors.
Mutuku directed the first, second and third prosecution witnesses to appear in court during the hearing.
Jumwa's name did not appear anywhere in the witnesses' list, even as the court ordered those who deposited cash bail for her during the trial to be refunded.
Otieno, Rimba, Saidi and Faith also denied failing to comply with procurement laws in their capacity as members of the Tender Evaluation Committee.
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"In May 2018 in Malindi Sub-county in Kilifi County within the republic of Kenya, being the fund account manager and the accounting officer of the Malindi Constituency National Government Constituency Development Fund, (the accused) failed to comply with the law relating to procurement by failing to appoint and have the secretary of the Tender Evaluation Committee as the persons in charge of procurement function," read the third charge in reference to Wachu Omar, a charge he denied.
Late last year, prosecutor Alex Akula told the trial court that he had received orders to withdraw the case against Jumwa who was the first accused in the case.
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