Just how unfair is the justice system in Kenya? Those who are arrested for petty crime get to serve jail term while those who squander billions of taxpayer money are allowed to roam the streets freely.
Does it make sense to release suspects of a Ksh. 1.5 billion fraud on a Ksh. 2 million cash bail?
Well, eighteen suspects in the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) scandal were today charged over alleged loss of Ksh. 1.5 billion at the state health insurer.
Appearing before anti-corruption court Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti, the accused were charged with 17 counts among them abuse of office, wilful failure to comply with the law relating to management of public funds among others.
Simon Kirgoty and Geoffrey Mwangi, the CEO’s of the State insurer were charged with seven and six counts respectively, all of which they denied and were released on a cash bail of Ksh.2 million each. The court also directed the suspects to surrender their travel documents and barred them from visiting their offices and contacting witnesses except under permission from the investigating officers.
Some of the suspects were released on a cash bail of Ksh. 1 million and others Ksh. 300,000.
Also charged was Web Tribe Limited, which trades as JamboPay, and its directors Danson Muchemi and Robert Muriithi. The company was allegedly contracted to offer revenue collection services to NHIF without proper planning leading to loss of millions of public funds.
Members of the NHIF audit committee Mudzo Nzili, Yussuf Ibrahim and Elly Nyaim were also charged with breach of trust for approving extension of the contract awarded to Web Tribe Limited.
The case will be mentioned on January 29, 2019.
Do you think those involved in the NHIF scandal will ever be brought to the book?