Suspended county clerk, five others in books tender case acquitted

Suspended Nairobi County Assembly Clerk Jacob Ngwele at a past function. He and five others were charged for abuse of office. [File, Standard]

The suspended Nairobi County Assembly clerk and his five colleagues who were charged with corruption have been acquitted.

Jacob Ngwele, his deputy Adah Awour, colleagues Philomena Nzuki (principal accountant), James Kariuki (senior procurement officer), Fredrick Mwangi (senior finance and planning officer) and Raphael Maluki (proprietor of Primara Ventures) were arrested in August 2018.

Nairobi Senior Principal Magistrate Martha Mutuku set them free after the prosecution failed to prove the corruption allegations against them.

The six were facing charges for allegedly colluding to steal Sh1 million through a tender for supply of books.

According to the charge sheet, the books were never delivered to City Hall despite Primara Ventures being paid.

Jacob Ngwele and his colleagues were initially released on 300,000 cash bail each.

Ngwele has survived several attempts to be bundled out of City Hall.

In November 2014, the Industrial Court reinstated him after he was suspended by Nairobi MCAs after a delay in MCAs getting their mortgages.