The biggest corruption trial involving the National Youth Service (NYS) got underway yesterday with 54 suspects taking pleas in a lengthy court session that dragged into the night.

From the lowest rank official to the top most managers of NYS, 40 public officials including a principal secretary, those on the dock also included business people and companies that prosecutors alleged received millions of shillings without providing any goods and services.

The mood inside and outside the anti-corruption court summed up the nation's attention to the case, with a sizeable crowd packing the courtroom, where the suspects who endured over 10 hours, from the time they were taken from police cells to Milimani Courts, listened and pleaded to charges in 10 different files.

Principal Secretary for Youth and Gender Affairs Lillian Omollo, NYS Director-General Richard Ndubai, his assistant Nicholas Ahere, former director Sammy Michuki and Finance Director Wellington Lubira led the list of top managers who faced several charges of defrauding NYS Sh468 million.

Also charged were junior employees who included storekeepers, examiners, invoicers, IFMIS buyers, accountants and cheque approvers said to have had a hand in the chain of operations leading to loss of public funds.

Not spared too was a family of four whose company trading by the name Annwaw Investments Limited was allegedly paid close to Sh60 million for supplying nothing to NYS.