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Oswago and co-accused face fresh graft charges

Wednesday, October 27th, 2021 00:00 | By
Oswago
Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chief executive officer James Oswago. PHOTO/Courtesy.

Former Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chief executive officer James Oswago and two others were yesterday charged afresh with several counts of graft linked to the Chickengate  scandal.

 Oswago, his co-accused Hamida Ali Kibwana who is also a former IEBC official and Trevy Oyombra, an agent of a UK firm, Smith & Ouzman appeared before chief magistrate Lawrence Mugambi of Anti-Corruption Court and denied all the fresh charges relating to the Sh50 million scandal.

The money is alleged to have been paid as bribes by the UK firm to former members of the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission (IIEC) and the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to award it a printing tender.

Oswago alone is charged with wilful failure to comply with applicable procedures and guidelines relating to procurement of goods.

The prosecution alleges that on May 7, 2010 at the IIEC offices in Nairobi County, being the accounting officer of the IIEC wilfully failed to comply with the law relating to procurement of goods by the awarding of contract for the supply of 57,000 ballot papers for the South Mugirango by-election to the Smith and Ouzman Ltd in contravention of the Public Procurement and Disposal Regulations 2006.

In July last year, the Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission (EACC) recommended the charging of Oswago and three other junior election officials but exonerated top officials mentioned in a London court as having pocketed hefty bribes totaling £349,057.39 (Sh45.4 million).

The former IIEC boss is also accused of receiving Sh2 million on August 13, 2010 from Kibwana as an inducement to have the IIEC award a contract for the printing of OMR Correction forms to Smith and Ouzman Limited, contrary the Anti-corruption and Economic Crimes Act.

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