Kakamega High Court acquits 5 accused of purchasing Bungoma County wheelbarrows at Kshs. 109,320 each
SENTENCE;
In June 2018 a Court jailed 7 Bungoma wheelbarrow scandal suspects… Reading the verdict on behalf of Senior Magistrate Bildard Ochieng, Senior Principal Magistrate Thomas Muraguri sentence the suspects as follows;
- Six suspects who were charged over the Bungoma County wheelbarrow scandal were sentenced to one-and-half years in jail or pay a fine of Kshs. 300,000 each…. while Juma Matsanza, who was the accounting officer in the Finance department, was handed a two-year jail term or Kshs. 400,000 fine.
VIDEO; Kakamega High Court acquits 5 accused of purchasing Bungoma County wheelbarrows at Kshs 109,320 each
The accused who included members of the County tendering committee, were said to have colluded and procured 9 wheelbarrows at a cost of Kshs. 109,320 each in 2015;
- They were; Juma Matsanza, Howard Lukadilu, Oscar Onyango, Ayub Tuvaka, Arlington Shikuku, Jackline Nanjala and Reuben Cheruiyot.
The wheelbarrows’ purchase caused a national outrage, with then Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka, who is now the Senate Speaker, claiming that they were “non-carcinogenic” a statement that contributed immensely to his lose at the ballot.
APPEAL;
5 out of the 7 convicted county employees opted to appeal at Kakamega High Court which has today acquitted them.
Those who successfully appealed are;
- Ayub Tuvaka China
- Howard Lugadilu
- Oscar Onyango Ojwang
- Arlington Shikuku Omusheni
- Reuben Cheruiyot Rutto
Addressing the media their lawyer Charles Onyango Malala asked Governor Wangamati to expedite their reinstatement back to work adding the person who should be held responsible is the then county secretary Mr. Matsanza who was the accounting officer
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#iKUWEiKUWE has further leant that the person who wrote the statement read by the then Governor Lusaka is being blamed in some quotas… He should have used words; non-carcinogenic trolleys and not non-carcinogenic wheelbarrows ???
