PRIME Minister Raila Odinga's sister failed to appear in court yesterday to answer chargesof unlawful acquisition of public property. Beryl Lilian Okumu Odinga is facing charges of unlawfully acquiring over Sh1.5 million from the Kenya Railways Staff benefits scheme.(Pic courtesy of the Star)
Posted Wednesday, January 18 2012
PRIME Minister Raila Odinga's sister failed to appear in court yesterday to answer charges of unlawful acquisition of public property. Beryl Lilian Okumu Odinga is facing charges of unlawfully acquiring over Sh1.5 million from the Kenya Railways Staff benefits scheme.
However her co-accused Mathews Kipchumba Tuikong, Ephantus Muriithi Githui and Caroline Nkirote Nyororo appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to three counts of abuse of office.
Following her failure to show up, senior principal magistrate Lucy Nyambura of the Anti-Corruption Court issued a summons for her to appear. Beryl is expected in court next Tuesday.
State counsel Daniel Karura, assisted by chief inspector Robert Kyaa, informed the court that Beryl Odinga, the fourth accused, was not present in court and applied for four summons for her to appear in court on January 24.
Odinga is accused of unlawful acquisition of public property contrary to section 45 (1) as read with section 48 (1) of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003. The charges state that on various dates between March 6, 2009 and January 18, 2011 in Nairobi, as the chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Kenya Railways staff retirement benefits scheme, she unlawfully withdrew Sh1,512,653 drawn from the pension fund.
Tuikong and Muriithi are separately charged with abuse of office between March 6, 2009 and October 26, 2010 at the KR offices. The prosecution says that Tukong, the Chief Executive Officer, and Muriithi, the Finance Manager of the KR staff retirement scheme, used their offices to improperly confer a benefit of Sh1,512,653 on Beryl Odinga by approving the payment for her personal expenses contrary to regulations.
The two, jointly with Nyororo, are further accused with willfully failing to comply with the law relating to the management of funds by approving the payment of Sh2,173,638 for personal expenses incurred by Beryl Odinga.
The defence team led by Alphaxard Mogikoyo applied for the three accused persons to be released on bond. They told the court their clients are already facing other charges similar to the present one. The prosecution did not oppose bail application and they were each granted cash bail of Sh400,000 or Sh1 million each with a similar surety pending the hearing of the case.
