After calling 13 witnesses in the KES 351 million corruption case against former Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has opted to file a fresh charge against him.
The abrupt move was mooted by the withdrawal of the charges filed against a former County Secretary Mr Patrick Mukuria, who had been charged alongside the former county boss.
In the fresh case, Mr Wa Iria is indicted alongside David Maina Kiama, David Maina Njeri, Jane Waigwe Kimani, Solomon Mutura Kimani and Peter Muturi Karanja.
The KES 351,097,491 graft charge stems from the hiring of media coverage services from Top Image Media Consultants and Value View Limited.
The said media company was engaged to provide media coverage services to the Murang’a County Government between October 21, 2014, and June 19, 2017, under the stewardship of Mr Wa Iria.
When the DPP through a prosecuting counsel applied to charge the former county boss afresh, defense lawyers lamented that a lot of time has been wasted and the rights of the accused have been violated.
The trial magistrate Harrison Barasa allowed the plea by the DPP and ordered Mr Wa Iria and the co-accused to plead afresh to the fresh charges.
The DPP said the bond terms will remain the same.
Mr Barasa directed that the earlier bond terms remain the same and ordered the case to be mentioned on September 17, 2026, for further directions.
Mr Wa Iria now faces charges of conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, conflict of interest and money laundering.
The fresh charges relate to allegations of fraud in a media-buying contract awarded by the Murang’a County Government to Top Image Media Consultants Limited, which the prosecution alleges resulted in the loss of public funds amounting to KES 351,097,491.15.
The prosecution claims that Wa Iria alongside others conspired to commit an offence of corruption between October 21, 2014, and June 19, 2017.
The state claims the accused conspired to commit the alleged fraud in relation to the procuring of a media service contract.
The former governor is also accused of conflict of interest.
The prosecution alleges that between May 20, 2014, and June 19, 2017, he knowingly acquired a direct private interest in contracts between the county government and Top Image Media Consultants Limited and received KES 31.8 million from the company.
The amended charge sheet further contains several money-laundering charges involving millions of shillings allegedly received from the county government through Top Image Media Consultants.
The accused Wa Iria, David Maina Kiama, David Maina Njeri, Jane Waigwe Kimani, Solomon Mutura Kimani and Peter Muturi Karanja, Top Image Media Consultants Limited and Value View Limited have been accused of money laundering.
They are alleged to have received KES 7.5 million transferred from the county government of Murang’a towards the purchase of a property in Umoja, Nairobi through an arrangement intended to disguise the source of the money.
Another count claims that between May 27, 2014, and February 20, 2015, being the governor of Murang’a and directors of the two private companies entered into an arrangement for the transfer of KES 4.5 million from the accounts of the county government for the purchase of two houses (Batian 4 and Nelion) through Mlima Kenya Homes, while in a separate count involves KES 600,000 allegedly used for borehole blasting on a property in Mweiga, Nyeri County.
The court has also been informed that at least 13 prosecution witnesses will have to be recalled to testify and be subjected to further cross-examination following the amendment of the charge sheet.
The accused claimed that the prosecution has not considered the precious judicial time invested in the case plus the costs incurred by the accused in engaging legal services.
The accused were first presented in court on April 15, 2024, where the former governor through Senior Counsel and former Vice President Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka stated the former county boss was being targeted due to his political standing.
