A 10-year prison sentence is possible for former Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu as a result of investigations into claims that she abused her position as county executive.
Ngilu was charged with improperly assigning officials to the county’s Manifesto Implementation Unit (MIU) in 2017 in a case progress report issued by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) earlier today.
By pushing for the nomination of nameless officials, the leader of the Narc party is also accused of interfering with the work of the Kitui County Public Service Board (KCPSB) in violation of the law.
EACC provided evidence that a board complaint prompted inquiries into the allegations. Investigations revealed that the Kitui Governor requested that individuals be appointed to the MIU in a letter to the KCPSB.
According to the report, “EACC Investigations found that three KCPSB members gave the KCPSB Secretary instructions to issue appointment letters to appointees nominated by the Governor to work within the MIU.”
According to EACC, there was no illegal advertising of the posts. According to Sections 46 and 48 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, the agency advised filing charges of abuse of authority against the former governor.
Three additional board members were also requested to be charged by EACC to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
However, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) instructed the organization to carry out additional investigations on the topic after receiving the file.
According to Section 48 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, in addition to the maximum 10-year prison sentence, a person found guilty of the allegations faces a fine of Ksh1 million.
The Act states in part, “A person convicted of an offense under this part shall be liable to an additional mandatory fine if, as a result of the conduct which gave rise to the offense, the person received a quantifiable benefit or any other person suffered a quantifiable loss.”
by: MsLK