Two more officials charged in Sh122 million advertising scandal

Former ICT Principal Secretary Sammy Itemere and Lugari Member of Parliament Ayub Savula in court over the Sh122 million  Government Advertising Agency scam. Two more suspects, Susan Akinyi and Tabitha Nyaboke, have been charged in connection with the same scandal. [Photo: Edward Kiplimo,Standard]

Two more officials have been charged in connection with Sh122 million advertising agency scandal.

This comes soon after Lugari MP Ayub Savula and 20 others were charged over the same matter at the Milimani Law Courts on Monday.

The Chief Media Buyer of the Government Advertising Agency Susan Akinyi and another official Tabitha Nyaboke appeared before Chief Magistrate Francis Andayi and denied three counts of abuse of office, aiding the commission of felony and conspiracy to commit a felony contrary to the law.

The court heard that they committed the offense on July 1, 2015 and August 30, 2018 at the State Department for Broadcasting and Telecommunication, Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, where they conspired to steal Sh122,335,500 from the ministry of Information Communication and Technology.

The two were also charged with a second count of aiding different companies to fraudulently acquire public property from the state Department valued at Sh122,335,500 being payment for the supply of advertising services.

Akinyi was also charged with abuse of office contrary to the law.

The court was informed that being the Chief Media Buyer of the Government Advertising Agency, State Department of Broadcasting and Telecommunication in the Ministry of Information Communication and Technology, in abuse of the authority of her office, she certified the fraudulent payments of Sh122,335,500 from the Ministry to different publishers.

Through Lawyer Martin Oloo, the accused requested to be granted favorable bond terms and also sought to have warrants of arrests lifted.

“My clients were not aware of the warrants of arrest and they only got to know about it through the media,”said  Oloo.

He added that the accused are still innocent until proven guilty and thus they have a constitutional right to be released on bail.

They were released on Sh1m cash bail or a bond of Sh2m bond.

In the case 23 people including seven companies are facing Sh122m graft charges.

On Monday Lugari MP Ayub Savula, his two wives Melody Ringera and Hellen Kemboi denied charges of forgery, obtaining money by false pretenses and conspiracy to steal Sh122, 335,500 from the Ministry of ICT.

They appeared before Andayi together with former ICT PS Sammy Itemere, former Government Advertising Agency boss Dennis Chebitwey, administrative secretary Dickson Nyandinga and 21 others.

They are also accused of attempting to obtain Sh119 million from the State Department of ICT.

Savula is the director of the seven firms that were also charged with the same offenses including the publishers of Sunday Express, a weekly newspaper that circulates in Nairobi only.

The case will be mentioned on November 12.