Court finds Waluke guilty in Sh300m NCPB fraud case

Sirisia MP John Waluke and his co-director Grace Wakhungu will spend the next three days in police custody awaiting sentencing for fraudulently receiving more than Sh300 million from a state agency.

Chief magistrate Elizabeth Juma directed the two to be held at Kileleshwa Police Station until Thursday when she will sentence them for defrauding the National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB).

The MP’s job now hangs in the balance if the magistrate sentences him to more than six months. The two own Erad Supplies & General Contracts Ltd, which the NCPB paid Sh314 million after they accused the agency breaching a contract in 2004.

Then, the Agriculture ministry had in a letter dated July 19, 2004, instructed NCPB to purchase two million bags of maize for famine relief and Strategic Grain Reserve.

The firm won an award for the supply of 40,000 metric tonnes of maize. However, the agency allegedly cancelled the tender for lack of funds.

Ms Juma ruled that the prosecution had proved all the charges against the two.

The charges against them stated that being directors of Erad Suppliers, they presented a false invoice of $1,146,000 (Sh115,072,725) on February 24, 2009, as evidence in the arbitration dispute between the company and the NCPB.