Ex-Bungoma Governor Wangamati, 11 others face 27 graft charges
Prosecutors say Wangamati and his co-accused used fake certificates between 2018 and 2021 to win multimillion-shilling road and construction tenders.
Former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and 11 former county officials and contractors appeared at Milimani Law Courts on Tuesday, facing 27 charges of alleged corruption, including fraudulent procurement, conflict of interest, and money laundering.
The prosecution alleges that between 2018 and 2021, Wangamati and his co-accused submitted falsified completion and liability certificates from multiple county governments and institutions to secure multimillion-shilling road and construction tenders.
The tenders were awarded through Valeria Construction Limited, Nabwala Construction Limited, Mundesi Contractors, and Skyman Freighters Limited.
Authorities claim the companies and their officials presented forged documents from the Kenya Wildlife Service, county governments of Kwale, Garissa, Uasin Gishu, Tana River, and Turkana, as well as institutions such as the National Irrigation Board and the Nakuru Water and Sanitation Company.
In one of the counts, Nabwala Construction Limited and its directors, including Michael Wangamati and Barasa Wangamati, are accused of acquiring Sh271 million in a Cooperative Bank account while knowing the funds were proceeds of crime.
During the plea hearing, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), represented by Vincent Monda, told the court it was not opposed to bail but requested strict conditions.
These include surrendering passports, refraining from interfering with witnesses, and avoiding public commentary on the case.
Defence lawyer Peter Wanyama asked the court to grant reasonable bail, arguing that the finance officials who handled payments were not charged, indicating no irregularity in disbursement.
He also noted that the accused had cooperated with investigators and highlighted that Wafula Wangamati suffers from hypertension.
"There was no loss of funds, and please consider that most of the suspects are related to the first accused, so they are from one family. Please grant them a cash bail of Sh50,000 each," Wanyama told the court.
The judge directed that bail terms would be set after reviewing submissions from both the prosecution and defence.
