Ex-Nyandarua Governor’s Son, Ex-CEC among four to face Sh13 million fraud charges

Four suspects are Wednesday scheduled to appear before the Nyeri Law Courts on Wednesday to answer charges related to a Sh13 million procurement fraud at Nyandarua County Government.

Those to be charged include Joseph Kimemia Thuita, the son of former Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia and Rose Esther Muthoni Wamuiya, former County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Trade.

Also facing charges are Paul Ng’ang’a Ngugi and Catherine Mbobua, a director and an employee respectively of Catapult, the private firm at the center of the fraudulent transaction.

The four suspects will face charges of engaging in fraudulent procurement practices, contrary to Section 66(1) as read with Section 177 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.

The charge sheet read that between November 2017 and 11th April 2018, within Nyandarua County in the Republic of Kenya, being the County Executive Committee Member and Head of Procurement in the Department of Industrialization respectively at Nyandarua County Government, Directors of Catapult Brand Consulting Limited, Employees of Catapult Brand Consulting Limited and son of the then Governor Nyandarua County respectively, committed a fraudulent act to wit fraudulent practice in procurement process by discussing the details of the tender before advertisement thereby causing the tender to be unlawfully awarded to Catapult Brand Consulting Limited.