Former water agency accountant to serve 24 years in jail for Sh910,000 bribe
Former finance manager at Kenya Water Resources Management Authority (WARMA) James Omondi Ambuso, has been slapped with a fine of Sh7.6 million or in default, a jail term of 24 years for demanding and receiving bribes from regional managers of the authority ten years ago.
Appearing before Milimani Anti-Corruption Court Magistrate Eunice Nyutu, Omondi was found guilty of four counts of soliciting and receiving bribes totalling Sh910,000 from regional managers of the water agency in Mombasa and Tana Catchment area.
While sentencing the accused, Nyutu said State officers have a duty to safeguard public funds and those who would do the opposite will have themselves to blame.
“The accused was a public officer when he committed the offence. He had a duty to safeguard public resources, but he did the opposite and used the resources to benefit himself. Such actions are to be frowned upon and I want to send a strong message to public officers that the use of public resources for personal enrichment shall not be tolerated,” she said.
Ambuso had been charged with corruptly solicitating Sh445,000 from Geoffrey Mworia to facilitate the disbursement of operations and development funds to WARMA Mombasa Regional office.
He also received Sh160,000 from Simon Wachira Wang’ombe, Sh465,000 from Boniface Mbeu Mwaniki, to facilitate the operations of WARMA Nanyuki regional office and Tana Catchment Area.
He also faced a second count of corruptly receiving a benefit contrary to the Anti-corruption Act where on the same dates, he sent the same amount through MPesa transactions to Mworia through Patrick Masaku as an inducement.
The DPP also accused him of receiving a bribe of Sh465,000 on December 12, 2012, and April ,2013 from Boniface Mwaniki as an inducement.
