BY SAM ALFAN.
A senior officer of Ministry Education accountant has been convicted over fraudulent acquisition of public funds over a decade ago.
Christine Chacha was found guilty of fraudulently acquiring the funds meant for sensitisation workshops for secondary schools and false accounting.
Milimani Anti-Corruption Senior Principal Magistrate Rose Makungu deferred the sentencing to October 12.
However, the court acquitted her co-accused Concelia Ondiek (former Acting Director of Secondary and Tertiary Education), Thomas Omuga, Fred Ochanda and Francis Imbo of all charges.
Chacha was accused of fraudulently acquiring Sh54,000 by purporting that the money had been spent on paying for accommodation for resource persons facilitating a workshop on double shift.
The workshop was allegedly held at Nyeri Technical.
The charges were that she commited the offence that on the diverse days between the May 25 and 29, 2009 at Jogoo House in Nairobi.
The funds were intended for sensitization workshops for secondary schools on double-shift program.
The court heard that she knowingly furnished a false schedule to the Ministry purporting it to be a just and true account of the expenditure of the said funds.
Her co-accused faced similar charges after allegedly conspiring to fraudulently acquire public funds.
While acquiting her co-accused, the Magistrate said prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubts.
The Magistrate ruled that the accused had never met and three was no way they could have conspired to fraudulently acquire the Sh5,337,500.
She added that from the evidence, they accused had never met until the day they were arraigned in court which means it was impossible for them to conspire to acquire the said millions as alleged by the prosecution.
Ondiek, Chacha, Omuga, Ochanda and Awour on diverse dates between 1st day May and 30th June, 2009 at Kisumu Province conspired to fraudulently acquire public Sh.5,337, 500 from the Ministry of Education by purporting the said money had been spent for training workshop on the double-shift program for secondary schools for Nyaza region.
Ondiek was accused that on the diverse days between the 29th day of May 2009 and 10th July 2009 at the Kisumu Polytechnic in Nyanza Province did fraudulently acquire Public Property Sh 8,055,000 by Durpofting that the sad sum was due to Savanna Grassland
Hotel for having accommodated workshop participants which was false.
Chacha was also accused that on the diverse days bewveen the dav of June 2009 and June 2009 at Jogoo House in Nairobi Province did fraudulently acquired Sh 226,000 by purporting that the said sum was paid as transport reimbursement to participants attending double shift workshop at the Mombasa Polytechnic University College, which was false.
