Former Tourism PS Nabutola, Ong'ong'a freed on bail
From left: Businessman Duncan Muriuki, former Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) managing director Achieng Ong'ong'a and former Tourism Permanent Secretary Rebecca Nabutola in court November 30, 2012. The three were freed on a Sh500,000 cash bail each pending their appeal against fraud charges. PAUL WAWERU
Former Tourism Permanent Secretary Rebecca Nabutola and two others were Friday freed on cash bail pending an appeal against fraud charges.
Also released was former Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) managing director Achieng Ong'ong'a and businessman Duncan Muriuki.
High Court judge Mbogholi Msagha freed the three on a Sh500,000 cash bail.
Ms Nabutola, Dr Ong'ong'a and Mr Muriuki were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the Ministry of Tourism Sh8.4 million.
The former government officials paid the price of a trip organised for permanent secretaries to familiarise themselves with the marketing of wildebeest migration in Maasai Mara in June 2007, a function also attended by President Mwai Kibaki.
Senior principal magistrate Lucy Nyambura on Monday ruled that the money requested by KTB from the Treasury was for marketing and asked how KTB ended up paying Sh8.4 million for a trip budgeted to cost Sh900,000, and which was to be funded by stakeholders in the tourism sector.
“The cost of the entire trip was Sh1.8 million which was to be sourced from stakeholders. No documents are there to show the other payments even after one stakeholder paid Sh500,000 for the trip.
"In fact the other accused (Duncan Muriuki) opened a fixed deposit account for the money and withdrew it soon after the trip was over,” said Ms Nyambura. The magistrate jailed Nabutola for four years while Ong’ong’a will serve three years.
