The Ethics & Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has secured court orders to recover Ksh11.1 million in cash and assets that were illicitly acquired by a Ministry of Education (MoE) employee.
This case centres on Joshua Momanyi Ocharo, an employee in the State Department of Early Learning and Basic Education.
It is alleged that between August 2017 and June 2018, Ocharo devised a fraudulent scheme, fabricating a school and naming it ‘Mundeku Secondary School,’ then listing it in the payment records for Free Day Secondary Education (FDSE).
The fictitious school is located in Khwisero, Kakamega County.
As a clerical officer in the department, Ocharo was entrusted with creating the FDSE funds distribution schedule.
Using his position, he consistently inserted his personal bank account number 0520191315774 at Equity Bank Nyamira Branch.
This enabled him to siphon funds totaling Ksh11,131,305.53, which was partly transferred into his KCB account (Ksh3.4 million).
Subsequently, he acquired two parcels of land in Donyo Sabuk and Mavoko valued at Ksh830,000 and Ksh980,000 respectively.
Furthermore, he purchased a Toyota Vanguard for Ksh2,350,000.
In a landmark ruling on October 5, the Milimani High Court presided over by
determined that Ocharo had deceitfully obtained the funds.
The court ordered the forfeiture of the two parcels of land purchased with stolen public funds, directing that they be handed over to the State.
Moreover, Ocharo was instructed to pay Ksh7,421,305.53, the amount retained after acquiring the aforementioned properties, with interest accruing at a rate of 12 percent from the time of the loss.
By Viola Chepkemoi
Get more stories from our website: Education News
To write to us or offer feedback, you can reach us at: editor@educationnews.co.ke
You can also follow our social media pages on Twitter: Education News KE and Facebook: Education News Newspaper for timely updates.
>>> Click here to stay up-to-date with trending regional stories
