Case on Controller of Budget is witch hunt, MP tells court

Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Fraud charges against the Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang'o are a political witch hunt, the High Court was told on Wednesday.

Justice Lawrence Mugambi heard that the Kenya Kwanza regime wants to either kick her out of office or silence her using trumped-up charges.

In the case filed on Tuesday by West Mugirango MP Stephen Mogaka, the court was told of how government agencies and the National Assembly cleared Dr Nyakang'o in 2019 when she was hired.

According to Mogaka, the charges revolve around allegations claimed to have happened in 2016. He stated that none of the agencies questioned her over the same until recently when she spilled beans on Kenya Kwanza's expenditure.

"The Controller has zealously and without fear or favour discharged her mandate and has in recent times exposes fiscal improprieties and the instant criminal proceedings are clearly politicised attempts to discredit her integrity and ultimately impeach her credibility and suitability for office thus forcing her out of office without following due process," argued his lawyer Danstan Omari.

Mogaka has sued the Director of Public Prosecution and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

According to the MP, the Sh29 million dispute had been litigated before courts and Nyakang'o was not a party.

"The arrest comes in the wake of her public exposes with regards to the fiscal improprieties within the running of various State arms and agencies, and is a glaring manifestation of a knee jerk reaction accentuated by ulterior motives, malice and an unprecedented abuse of process."

Nyakang'o was on Tuesday arraigned at a Mombasa court with counts of fraud, false pretence, and operating a Sacco without a licence.