Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and three Busia county cabinet members were released on Kshs 1 million bail each by the Anti Corruption Court in Milimani, Nairobi on Friday. The Governor, together with the other leaders were arraigned before the court on Wednesday after the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji gave the go-ahead for their prosecution and faced corruption-related charges.
The counts they faced included engaging in a project without proper planning, abuse of office and conspiracy to commit an economic crime. Ojaamong and the county officials were accused of defrauding the county government of Busia Kshs 8 million in a faulted feasibility study on waste management meant to be carried out by Madam R Enterprise. The accused spent two nights at EACC police station as they waited for the bail ruling.
In the Friday ruling, the Anti Corruption Court Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti ordered the Governor and the three co-accused to report without fail to the Malaba EACC offices every last Friday of the month. The prosecution had opposed their release on bail, on the basis that they might interfere with witnesses.