When the dramatic first season of documented and reported theft occurred at the NYS in 2015, Nicholas Juma Makokha was at the rank of Chief Inspector, but was serving as a personal assistant to then Director-General Nelson Githinji .
Mr Makokha’s name was among several individuals the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) investigated and handed over to the public prosecutor in the hope of a conviction.
At the time, investigations had unearthed the theft of Sh791 million through payment of firms which did not deliver anything, inflation of payment due to suppliers, diversion of public funds for personal use, firms owned by NYS officials doing business with the agency, and its bureaucrats getting kickbacks from contractors, among many other sins.
On many occasions, Mr Makokha sat next to his boss, Mr Githinji, in the dock.
In December 2017, the Court of Appeal held that the EACC did not have the constitutionally required quorum of three commissioners when instituting a graft case against former Transport CS Michael Kamau.
Just like that, it was an early Christmas for dozens of graft suspects whose cases evaporated as they had been triggered by the EACC.
This included Mr Githinji, Mr Makokha and other NYS officials.
Former National Youth Service Director-General Nelson Githinji.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
While Mr Githinji bowed out of the NYS under a cloud stemming from the scandal, Mr Makokha returned to work, earning one promotion after the other and eventually being named the Deputy Commandant-General in charge of operations and logistics in March, 2025.
That promotion would coincide with a third heist at the NYS in 10 years, cementing the institution’s notorious reputation as the gift that keeps on giving to the corrupt.
For over a year, the EACC has been probing senior NYS officials in a third financial scandal at the institution in 10 years.
And for the second time, Mr Makokha is at the centre of the action, as investigators accuse him of acting as a proxy for an NYS Senior Superintendent, David Mbogo.
Nicholas Juma Makokha (left).
Photo credit: Pool
During cross-examination, defence lawyers questioned Mr Mbogo on how he attained significant wealth. While Sh9 billion was lost in that second scandal, Mr Mbogo testified in one of the cases involving the theft of Sh226 million.
Defence lawyers particularly asked Mr Mbogo to explain how he acquired a Sh200 million property in Ruiru, a hybrid Lexus SUV, a Range Rover Sport and a Toyota Prado. The defence lawyers also questioned Mr Mbogo, a storekeeper at the time, on how his firm received Sh800 million in 2016.
Ms Omolo was acquitted, and the shoe is now on the other foot as Mr Mbogo is the prime suspect in the third NYS heist.
Court papers indicate that Mr Makokha is suspected of having aided Mr Mbogo to illegally draw Sh510 million from the NYS between January, 2017 and March, 2025. That allegation is part of the broader investigation into a Sh2 billion loss of funds.
The NYS suspended Mr Makokha and Mr Mbogo in May 2025 for six months without pay. Both officials filed cases seeking to quash their suspensions.
Mr Makokha filed his case at the constitutional and human rights division of the High Court, while Mr Mbogo opted for the employment and labour relations court.
On February 13, the High Court dismissed Mr Makokha’s case, stating that he had not provided evidence to show that his rights had been violated.
On March 24, the labour relations court ruled in Mr Mbogo’s favour, quashing the suspension and reinstating his salary. The court has also blocked the NYS from firing or suspending Mr Mbogo until it makes a final determination on the case filed by the Gilgil-based official.
In the third NYS theft, the EACC holds that several NYS officials looted Sh2 billion by trading with the institution through firms they own.
“The suspects allegedly abused their positions of trust and authority to embezzle public funds through collusion, procurement fraud and payment for fictitious contracts,” the EACC said following a 2025 raid on the homes and offices of eight suspects.
Another NYS official, Joseph Maina Kagiri, is also a suspect. He is an accountant based in Gilgil.
Mr Mbogo’s wives, Felista Wanjiru Wandugu and Winfred Cherotich Towett, are also suspects. Elias Muthee, Mr Mbogo’s brother, is also under investigation.
Naftaly Kaberu and his wife, Florence Muthoni Karanja, are suspected to be Mr Mbogo’s proxies.
The investigations have led EACC officers to the Marvel Hotel in Embu County, where Mr Mbogo’s brother Elias Muthee, is a Director. Investigators believe that the hotel is owned by Mr Mbogo and was built using proceeds from the third NYS heist.
Mr Kagiri, who is now suspected of aiding Mr Mbogo, was also mentioned during the trial of Ms Omolo in 2022.
