Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado, his four children, and 11 others will today, Monday, July 8, 2024, appear before the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court where they face charges relating to the theft of public funds and conflict of interest.
The prosecution has lined up 59 witnesses to testify in the case against the embattled former Governor, his four children Dan Achola Okoth, Scarlet Susan Okoth, Everlyn Zachary Okoth, and Jerry Zachary Okoth, together with 11 others including county officials accused of fraudulently obtaining public funds from the Migori County Government.
Obado off the hook
Obado had in June agreed to an out-of-court settlement with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission in a Ksh1.9 billion case much to the uproar of Kenyans who have in recent times accused the anti-graft body of going for the small fish with the big fish getting a free pass.
The out-of-court settlement saw Obado surrender property valued at over Ksh235 million, including high-end vehicles and real estate in affluent parts of the capital city.
An explanation by EACC absolves Obado and the co-accused, saying most of the payments cited in the case had been lawfully made, and only an amount of Ksh235 million of the close to Ksh2 billion thought to have been irregularly acquired from the County government remained unexplained.
The unexplained amount, which the commission found to be proceeds of corruption, including kickbacks directly sent by some companies to foreign universities as school fees for Obado’s children as well as high-end properties purchased for the family by the said contractors, have since been recovered through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), following a civil recovery suit filed at the High Court.
The anti-corruption commission is expected to dispose of the seized properties by public auction by the court orders issued by Justice Esther Maina.
If found guilty, the accused faces a maximum 10-year jail term and a mandatory fine double the amount of the public funds acquired as given in section 48 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003.
Obado’s case follows the high-profile sentencing of former NSSF Investment Manager Francis Moturi to 14 years in jail and a Ksh2.4 billion fine for fraudulently obtaining Ksh1.2 billion from the National Social Security fund (NSSF).
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