BY MANUEL ODENY
Former Migori governor Okoth Obado and his family are set for a marathon 20 days hearing beginning May next year for the Sh73 million graft case.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has alleged that the suspects inflated tender and contract prices to defraud the county government of Migori.
Obado was in 2020 charged alongside 10 co-accused persons including his children Dan Okoth, Scarlet Okoth, Jerry Okoth and Evelyne Okoth in the graft case.
They were accused alongside Uriri MP aspirant Jared Peter Odoyo Kwaga and his relatives including his 73-year-old mother Peninah Auma, his wife Christine Akinyi, his sister-in-law Carolyne Anyango and his brothers Patroba Ochanda and Joram Opala.
Obado and Kwaga, alongside their family members are facing 27 counts in the corruption and economic crimes charges.
22 of these counts relate to Obado alone.
The prosecution has lined up 59 witnesses with the first prosecution witness EACC investigating officer Robert Ronoh when he testified in January 2021 painted Obado and his co-accused persons hatched and executed the alleged fraud.
That means the other 58 are yet to testify.
The case has been dragging on in part because of bulky nature of the documents and language hitches given Kwaga’s mother does not understand English or Kiswahili and thus requires translation into Dholuo to follow proceedings.
Principal magistrate Charles Ondieki directed the parties to pick the 20 days which were:
Four days from May 19 to 22 for the first four days of the marathon hearings with another four days the following week from May 26 to 29 next year.
After the eight days in May, marathon hearings will proceed from July 1 to 3, 2025 and continue for another four days between July 7 and July 10, 2025.
The 20 days of the hearings will end with witnesses testifying between September 1 and September 4 before further directions are issued.
“Any issues that may arise in between should be raised with the court in good time,” Ondieki said.
The magistrate becomes the third judicial officer to hear the Obado graft case after Lawrence Mugambi and chief magistrate Victor Wakumile.
Ondieki took over the matter from Wakumile who was transferred from the division. Wakumile had taken over the matter from then chief magistrate Lawrence Mugambi upon his promotion to become judge of the High Court in 2022.
Already, Obado and his proxies are set to lose eight prime properties and two land cruisers worth Sh235million in public auction as proceeding of crime after talks with EACC.
They are:
- Loresho Ridge House with a market value of Sh40 million
- A commercial block known as Sunrise Centre in Suna East worth Sh88 million
- 5-storey residential blocks each with a total of 20 two-bedroom units with a market value of Sh57.6 million
- Two apartments in Greenspan worth Sh9 million each.
- A residential property in Kamagambo worth Sh10 million
- Developed two single-storey residential blocks with eight one-bedroom units worth Sh7.5 million
- Maisonette in Nairobi worth Sh14.5 million.
- Two motor vehicles. All these items according to a consent adopted in court by Justice Esther Maina have a current market value of Sh235 million.
