Governor Obado, Two Daughters, Two Sons and Five Others to Face Economic Crime, Conspiracy to Defraud and Abuse of Office Charges
Migori governor Okoth obado, his two daughters and two sons are among the ten people set to face multiple economic crime charges tomorrow morning by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Eacc).
They were arrested today morning and ferried to Nairobi after surrendering at the Kisii Eacc offices as ordered by the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji after he approved the charges preferred by the ethics commission.
Obado’s waterloo comes exactly a year after he among other accomplices were charged with the gruesome murder and rape of his heavily pregnant 28 years old fiancée Sharon Otieno in 2018.
They are accused of fleecing county coffers up to in Sh73.4 million.
This is part of the long-running investigation in which Obado is believed to have embezzled an approximate Sh1.2billion through a web of phony companies associated with close family members and confidants.
His children were bundled into a van and other police cars which sped off from the Kisii EACC offices, destined to Nairobi–all under armed escort.
Eacc said the money will then end up in the accounts of the family and used to purchase cars and high end properties, including a palatial home in Loresho.
After Haji approved charges against him, EACC ordered him to present himself to its Kisii branch he was arrested alongside his children and driven to Nairobi.
Obado was sandwiched between mean-looking and heavily armed police officers attached to the EACC.
“They are all under arrest and will face charges in Nairobi,” an EACC official told Capital FM News in Kisii. His children were also driven to Nairobi.
The Governor is accused alongside his children Achola Dan Okoth, Susan Scarlet Okoth Jerry Zachary Okoth and Adhiambo Evelyn Okoth following an investigation by EACC.
Also wanted to face charges are county officials and more than 15 businessmen and women-who won lucrative tenders through corruption at the county and later wired money to the governor and his children’s accounts.
“The investigations were in respect of Sh73.4 million being sums indirectly received by the Governor through his children who received multiple payments from companies trading with Migori County Government between 2013/2014 Financial Year and 2016/2017,” the DPP said in his statement, approving the charges.
Some of the money was used to purchase a prime property in the upmarket Loresho Ridge in Nairobi that was registered under Obado’s daughter Evelyn.
Obado is out on bond in the murder of Sharon Otieno who was brutally murdered while pregnant, days after making it known to his associates that he was responsible for the pregnancy. He denies killing her.
“An audit trail of the money led to persons closely related to Zachary Okoth Obado who were his proxies,” the DPP said.
Some of the entities involved according to the DPP include Misoft Company Limited, Tarchdog Printers, Atinus Services, Dankey Press among others.
The governor’s three children received Sh38 million, which is said to have been spent on paying their school fees in Australia and United Kingdom and purchased two Toyota Landcruiser V8’s.
“The audit trail further disclosed that Sh34, 525,000 was used to purchase a house in Loresho Ridge whose beneficial owner is Everlyne Adhiambo Zachary, the Governor’s daughter,” reads the DPP statement.
