NYS scandal suspects in court. Other avenues of investments must be created so that Kenyans stop inheriting corruption, from father to son, like a generational curse or a city council house. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
The High Court has blocked payments of more than Sh6.1 billion linked to suspects facing graft charges over the National Youth Service (NYS) scandal.
The court issued orders blocking the payments to companies associated with Ben Gethi Wangui, Elizabeth Wangeci Ngugi and Susan Nyambura Mburu, among others, over claims that the contracts were fictitious and the goods were not supplied to the State agency.
The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes court in Nairobi blocked the payments pending the hearing and determination of the petition filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
National Youth Service recruits conduct a drill during the graduation ceremony at Gilgil training camp on December 8, 2023.
“That pending the inter-parties hearing of the application dated the December 5, 2025, the 1st - sixth defendants, by themselves, their agents, servants, successors in title or personal representatives are hereby restrained from claiming payment of Sh 6,167,797,655 from the interested party on the basis of payment vouchers with annexures serialised as S/No 000001-002901,” said the court.
The case will be heard on December 18.
Documents filed in court stated that the anti-graft body received a report from the CS Ministry of Public Affairs, Gender, Senior Citizens and Special Programs, requesting investigations into the veracity of payment claims amounting to approximately Sh6 billion submitted to the NYS by various suppliers.
The suppliers included Highview Trading, Schoolwork Enterprises, Newtool Mart Trading, Ratego technologies, Realtool Trading and Comptool Trading Ltd, all allegedly linked to Mr Gethi.
Others are Link General, Jimchar Enterprises ltd, and Tison limited, allegedly linked to Susan Nyambura ad Liz Link General Supplies, which are allegedly linked to Elizabeth Wangeci Ngugi.
The payments were allegedly for goods such as milk powder, blankets, corned beef, biscuits, white sugar, tinned pineapples, baked beans, boots and cooking oil, which were allegedly supplied to NYS.
The EACC said Mr Gethi, through the six entities, collectively claimed Sh3.4 billion for the supply of various items.
The anti-graft body alleges that the delivery notes and counter-receipt vouchers attached to the payment vouchers were forged. The 11 companies allegedly submitted 277 Local Purchase Orders (LPOs), delivery notes and invoices to NYS.
Forged documents
The court documents showed that Horizon Limited made claims amounting to Sh714 million, purportedly for the supply of fuel (Diesel Light) and engine oil.
“It was also established that 29 LPOs submitted for payment were printed by Government Printer. However, the batches comprising the said 29 LPOs were issued to other Government institutions and not the NYS,” EACC said.
Also named in the court documents are former senior and junior officials of NYS, some of whom are in court facing charges and formerly worked as inspection and acceptance (IAC) department and store personnel at the Mechanical and Transport Branch (MTB).
The former officials are alleged to have forged inspection and acceptance certificates and counter-receipt vouchers, by forging signatures of other members of the IAC purporting to have inspected and received the goods supplied.
“Through these documents, they demanded payment of Sh6.1 billion for the purported supply and delivery of various goods allegedly procured by NYS during the 2013/2014, 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 financial years,” EACC said in the petition.
The purported supply of goods was based on LPOs allegedly issued by NYS during the period but investigations allegedly revealed that NYS officials colluded with the said companies to falsify accountable documents, including LPOs, goods received notes, stock control cards and inspection and acceptance forms.
“An analysis of the payment vouchers with their annexures forwarded by NYS to the Plaintiff and serialized as S/No. 000001-002901 revealed that there were no requisitions attached to the payment vouchers,” EACC submitted.
Some delivery notes did not specify the quantities of goods purportedly delivered.
Further, the LPOs were not signed by an accountant to commit the funds in the vote book contrary to Regulation 52 of the Public Finance Management (National Government) Regulations, 2015 on vote control procedures, and did not contain NYS Stamps.
Additionally, some delivery notes did not specify the quantities of goods purportedly delivered, while others were forged to indicate delivery where none occurred.
The anti-graft body said the store records were manipulated, with entries made out of chronological order to falsely suggest that goods had been received and distributed.
Records were also falsified to show that goods had been issued to user departments and sub-units when this was not the case, EACC said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
