Migori Governor Obado, Daughter Arrested

Migori Governor Okoth Obado on Wednesday morning yielded to Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission sleuths in Kisii to respond to alleged grafts case against him and family members in Migori County.

There was a heavy police presence at the EACC Kisii offices on Wednesday morning. Governor Obado, together with nine other suspects who appeared at EACC will be transferred to Nairobi for arraignment and formal charges.

The Migori County boss, who was also a murder suspect in the killing of university student Sharon Ochieng’,  is facing graft allegations over misappropriation of an approximately KES 73.5 million from the county coffers. The funds are said to have been wired to the bank accounts of his three children who were undertaking their studies abroad.

It was not clearly made immediately if indeed all the of the governor’s children reported to the EACC ‘s  regional office in Kisii as security strongly barred journalists from accessing  the commission offices located along the Kisii-Kilgoris road. Dan Okoth’s lawyer was also barred from entering the EACC’s offices on Wednesday

The anti-graft agency sought Haji’s consent to charge the individuals with four counts among them; conspiracy to commit an offense of graft, conflict of interest, money laundering, and unlawful acquisition of public property. According to the Director of Public Prosecution, the EACC had launched a probe into the case through the governor’s designated proxies and employees of the county government.

Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji ordered the arrest and prosecution of Obado and his three children. Governor Obado is likely to be barred from accessing his county office, a precedent that has already been set in other graft cases.

Also to be charged is Jared Kwaga who is alleged to be Obado’s closest proxy in the siphoning of county funds.

Others  to be charged are all directors of 11 companies that Obado and his close associates transacted the millions of shillings in “fictitious” contracts.

According to an audit trail by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the companies that were trading with the Migori county government allegedly wired Sh38.9 million to the accounts of Obado’s three children. The three children who will be charged alongside their father: Achola Dan Okoth, Susan Scarlet Okoth, and Jerry Zachary Okoth.

The money was said to have been used as their school fees, upkeep, maintenance and medical bills in Australia, Scotland and United Kingdom.