Principal ordered to repay Ksh11M siphoned from training centre
By Francis Muli, June 20, 2023The former principal of Chebororwa Agricultural Training Centre Nicholas Kirop Kaino has been ordered to repay Ksh11.4 million siphoned from the college in 2017.
The court found that Kaino siphoned the money alongside his wife Rose Rotich, district accountant for Marakwet West Sub-County Alison Odera Mkangula and two others.
According to court filings by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC), the fraud was hatched and executed by the principal and district accountant who fraudulently withdrew all the funds in the subject bank account amounting to Ksh11,493,000.
The funds were withdrawn through various cheques drawn in their favour and in favour of four business entities associated with them namely Rotkan Investments, Wagabi Enterprises, Jergens Enterprises and Forgill Agencies, which did not supply anything to the institution.
“On diverse dates between 23rd February 2017 and 19th May 2017, Nicholas Kirop Kaino, the Principal and Alison Odera Mkangula, the district accountant in abuse of their authority as signatories, conspired and embezzled all the funds in the subject account to the tune of Ksh11,493,000. They fraudulently withdrew the funds through cheques drawn in the name of the principal Chebororwa ATC and others through business names associated with them including Rotkan Investments, Wagabi Enterprises, Jergens Enterprises and Forgill Agencies,” EACC said in court documents.
According to a payment schedule in our possession, the principal withdrew Ksh4,663,000 to his own account in eight batches between January and May 2017.
Ksh2,830,000 was paid to Rotkan Investments between February and March 2017 while Jergens Enterprises, Forgil Agencies and Wagabi Enterprises received a total of Ksh4 million.
Rotkan Investments is a business entity owned by Nicholas Kiprop Kaino, the principal and his wife Rose Rotich. Wagabi Enterprises is owned by Bernard Absolom Sanya, who had appointed Marrion Paulyne Dome, his relative, as an agent to the entity’s bank account.
Jergens Enterprises and Forgill Agencies are business entities registered in the name of Marrion Paulyne Dome. Both Bernard Absolom Sanya and Marrion Paulyne Dome were established, through EACC investigations, to be acting for and on behalf of the district accountant.
In her judgement delivered on June 15, 2023, Justice Esther Maina, sitting at Milimani High Courts in Nairobi, ordered the defendants to pay to the government the money stolen together with an annual interest of 12 per cent from the date the theft took place in 2017.
About Chebororwa Agricultural Training Centre
Chebororwa is a public agricultural training institution currently managed by the County Government of Uasin Gishu. Previously, the institution was managed by the National Government under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
The stolen funds were supposed to be transferred to the County Government of Uasin Gishu following the devolution of Chebororwa Agricultural Training Centre to the County.