A husband and wife have been arraigned in court over an alleged fraudulent scheme that led to the loss of Ksh22 million from the National Oil Corporation of Kenya. The wife, a former assistant accountant, is accused of masterminding the plot with her husband and a third party. The suspects have pleaded not guilty and were remanded until February 4.
A man and his wife appeared in court accused of involvement in a fraud that misappropriated Ksh22 million from the National Oil Corporation of Kenya, a state-owned entity. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detailed how the wife, previously an assistant accountant at the corporation, orchestrated the scheme in collusion with her husband and a third accomplice before resigning. Investigations by the Investigations Bureau (IB) under the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum uncovered the plot following a formal complaint about the theft of substantial public funds. The DCI stated: “The husband and wife, along with a third accomplice, were arraigned for their alleged involvement in a scheme that led to the misappropriation of Ksh22,151,983 from the National Oil Corporation of Kenya.” Detectives found that the husband set up multiple companies which received payments for services never provided. To hide the connection, the assistant accountant processed transactions using genuine documents from legitimate contractors. The third party allegedly benefited by receiving millions without any prior bidding or engagement with the corporation. The case file was sent to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which approved charges of conspiracy to defraud, theft by servant, forgery, and possession of proceeds of crime. “After review, the ODPP concurred with the investigators' recommendations to charge the three with conspiracy to defraud, theft by servant, forgery, and possession of proceeds of crime, among other offences,” authorities noted. The suspects were arrested on January 28, 2026, and held at Akila Police Station. They pleaded not guilty at Kibera Law Courts and remain in custody awaiting a bond hearing on February 4, 2026. Officials highlighted the case as evidence of the IB's dedication to combating corruption, ensuring accountability, and protecting public resources.
