Wa Iria Charged Afresh Over Sh351mn Media-Buying Contract at Murang’a County
Wa Iria faces a charge of conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, with the prosecution alleging that between October 21, 2014 and June 19, 2017, he and his co-accused conspired to defraud the county government in connection with the media-buying contract.
Former Murang’a governor Mwangi wa Iria and six others have been charged again in a Sh351 million corruption case following an amendment to the charge sheet by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). The charges revolve around a media-buying contract awarded by Murang’a County Government to Top Image Media Consultants Limited, which the prosecution claims cost the public Sh351,097,491.15.
Wa Iria is accused of conspiracy to commit corruption and conflict of interest, with allegations that he knowingly acquired a private interest in contracts between the county government and the media company, receiving Sh31.8 million in return. Additionally, the amended charges include multiple counts of money laundering involving millions of shillings allegedly received from the county government through Top Image Media Consultants.
The prosecution alleges that Sh7.5 million was used to purchase a property in Nairobi, Sh4.5 million for two houses, and Sh600,000 for borehole blasting on a property in Nyeri. All accused persons have denied the allegations, and the court has been informed that 13 prosecution witnesses will return to give further evidence and face additional cross-examination, potentially prolonging the proceedings.
Brief written by urgent.news from Capital FM Kenya's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
