NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18 – The Director of Public Prosecutions has approved the prosecution of National Treasury officials and business owners over the alleged misappropriation of Sh1.57 billion under the Programme for Rural Outreach of Financial Innovation and Technologies (PROFIT).

📻 Breaking It Down

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said it had independently reviewed an inquiry file submitted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and established that there was sufficient evidence to charge nine suspects over the alleged loss of Sh1,569,582,338.20.

The suspects include three National Treasury officials and six business owners and company directors.

Those named by the DPP are PROFIT Programme Coordinator John Ngure Kabutha, National Treasury Head of Accounting Unit Namwel Moturi Motanya and Senior Accountant John Maina Muriithi.

📌 What You Need to Know

The other suspects are Gladys Juliet Oroni, proprietor of Mawindo Enterprises, Brigs Agencies and Green Basil Agencies; Brian Kiprop Chepkarat, proprietor of El Konyinta Technologies; Ian Kwemoi Chepkarat, director of 020 Investments Limited and Vidi Vici Limited; Josephat Kamau Kamoshe, director of Blue Dart Agencies Limited; James Omwodo Ndai, proprietor of Ednas Agencies, Prozepp Technologies and Steeren Enterprises; and Jimmy Carter Odoyo Osodo, proprietor of Cadnic Investments.

The suspects are set to face charges including abuse of office, unlawful acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, financial misconduct, acquisition of proceeds of crime and money laundering.

The DPP has directed that the suspects, together with the implicated companies and businesses, be charged before a court of competent jurisdiction.

The prosecution decision follows investigations by EACC into alleged misappropriation of funds under the PROFIT programme, which was designed to expand access to affordable financing for small-scale farmers.

According to EACC, its investigations established that Sh1.569 billion was allegedly disbursed from the National Treasury Development Account to the programme before being channelled to private entities for goods and services that investigators said were never supplied or rendered.

The anti-corruption agency said the alleged scheme involved the use of false and forged documents to account for the funds.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya