Wangamati, kin and contractors released on bail in Sh271million graft charges
Former Bungoma county governor Wycliffe Wangamati has been released on a Sh1.5million cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh5million after pleading not guilty to twenty-seven charges levelled against him alongside his relatives and contractors.
Wangamati and his nine close family members, alongside directors of several companies, appeared before Principal Magistrate Zipporah Gichana at the anti-corruption court in Milimani and pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
They were charged with engaging in fraudulent procurement and acquisition of proceeds of crime amounting to more than Sh271million.
According to the charge sheet, the accused face 27 counts, including fraudulent procurement, conflict of interest, and money laundering.
The charge sheet for the ten indicated that the former county chief disregarded the law by engaging in fraudulent procurement activities, such as falsifying documents on various dates, to influence the award of tenders.
The Director of Public Prosecution did not oppose the release of Wangamati and the nine but requested that they surrender their travel documents and be barred from interfering with witnesses.
“The first accused has been released on a Sh5 million bond, in the alternative, a cash bail of Sh1.5 million. This also applies to the accused numbers 6 and 7. The second and third accused have their bond set at Sh1 million and, in the alternative, a cash bail of Sh400,000 each. These terms also apply to the 5th accused person. The 4th accused is a bond of Sh10 million instead of Sh2.5 million. The 8th accused, the bond is Sh8 million in the alternative of Sh2 million Cash bail. Accused numbers 9, 10, and 11 have been banded together, each of them with a bond of Sh1million and a cash bail of Sh200,000,” Gichana ruled.
According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the funds in question were mainly meant for road works, with money channeled to construction firms including Valeria Construction Limited, Mundesi Contractors Limited, KELCO Builders Limited, Nabweso Builders Limited, Fastec Suppliers Limited, Nasikhab Civil Contractors Limited, and Nabwala Construction Limited, who have been dragged into the courtroom alongside their directors.
The anti-graft authority is also accusing the companies of transacting millions of shillings from the Bungoma County government despite knowledge that the proceeds were from crime.
The former devolved unit leader’s siblings, Edward Wangamati, George Wangamati, and Emmanuel Wangamati, are among eight family members who risk serving jail terms in the event of a conviction.
Other members of the Wangamati family are his nieces and nephews.
Alex Odanga, Edward Maaya, Jumah Swaleh, Wafula Wakoli, Wisdom Baraka, Rita Mwaka, Sandra Soita, Christopher Makhokha, Jimmy Wekesa, Silvan Wanyonyi, and David Wanyama, who are directors of the various companies listed in the scandal, have also been charged and released on cash bail, respectively.
The former governor was presented in court today after he spent the night at Kilimani Police Station following his arrest following his honor of summons at the EACC headquarters.
Wangamati and his accomplices had been requested to appear at the Integrity Centre after the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) approved charges against them.
