Sirisia Member of parliament John Koyi Waluke who angles his support on Deputy President William Ruto’s Tanga Tanga wing of the Jubilee coalition might lose his parliamentary seat after an anti-corruption court in Milimani, Nairobi on Monday afternoon found him guilty in a maize scandal case worth close to Kshs 300 million.
The MP who is one of the staunch supporters of deputy president Dr William Ruto was found guilty alongside another suspect Grace Sarapay Wakhungu of five counts including perjury, uttering false documents and fraudulent acquisition of public property.
Senior principal magistrate Elizabeth Juma found Waluke and Sarapay guilty of fraudulent acquisition of public property whereby Sarapay Wakhungu and John Waluke on or about the 19th day of March 2013 in Nairobi City County being directors of Erad Supplies and general Contracts Limited jointly fraudulently acquired public property to wit Kshs 297,386,505.00 purporting to be costs of storage of 40,000 metric tonnes of white maize purportedly incurred by Chelsea Freight, loss of profits and interests.
The two together with their company Erad Supplies Ltd were charged for fraudulent of public property contrary to section 45(1) (a) as read with section 48(1) of the anti corruption and economic crimes act of 2003.
Under this count they were said to have fraudulently acquired public property to wit 13,364,671.40 purporting to be costs of storage of 40,000 metric tonnes of white maize purportedly incurred by Chelsea Freight loss of profits and interest a crime committed on or around 27th June 2013 within Nairobi City in the republic of Kenya.
They were further under the fraudulent acquisition of public property accused of fraudulently acquiring public property to wit, USD 24,032.00 purporting to be costs of storage of 40,000 metric tonnes of white maize purportedly incurred by Chelsea Freight and loss of profits and interest on the 2nd July 2013.
Sarapay Wakhungu was also found guilty of two other counts including uttering false documents and perjury contrary to sections 353 as read with section 349 of the penal code and section 108(1) as read with section 110 of the penal code respectively.
The two who are no longer innocent after the court proved that they are guilty of the five counts have been detained at the Kileleshwa police station until Thursday 25th June 2020 when their fate will be sealed during the ruling that will be delivered by the trial magistrate Elizabeth Juma.
Waluke Might Lose His Seat As MP For Sirisia
After being proven guilty of the three counts against Waluke and taking him back in custody after he was out on bail all through the hearing, it now puts his political career at high risk depending on the ruling of the magistrate on Thursday.
Other things aside, Waluke will be crossing his fingers hoping that he is not served a jail term that will require him to be in custody and fail to attend parliamentary sessions to represent the people of Sirisia constituency in Bungoma county.
According to Kenyan laws, if a member of parliament misses eight consecutive sittings in parliament or is jailed for a period of over six months in custody then he or she loses his or her seat as an MP hence the electoral commission calls for a by-election in the respective constituency.
The legislator is serving his second term as MP for Sirisia whereby in the first term in 2013 he was elected on an ODM ticket but later fell out with ODM leader Raila Odinga and switched his allegiance to deputy president Dr. William Ruto until 2017 when he was re-elected on a Jubilee ticket hence affirming and announcing his full support for Ruto’s 2022 presidential bid to succeed president Uhuru Kenyatta.
