By Joshua Otieno | February 24, 2026
The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has arraigned a Member of the County Assembly (MCA) and two former senior county officials over the alleged fraudulent loss of KSh 51,495,253 from the Garissa County Government.
Those charged are Bambala MCA Abdi Ibrahim Daar, former Garissa County Director of Accounting Services Mohamud Dubow Korane, and former Senior Principal Economist Yussuf Bethe Ali. The three appeared alongside Qorjarey Enterprise and General Supplies Limited before Principal Magistrate Hon. Jackson Omwange.
The accused face a total of 27 counts, including conspiracy to commit an economic crime, fraudulent acquisition of public property, abuse of office, and forgery. All pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The court heard that the alleged offences were committed between September 14, 2021, and July 1, 2022. Prosecutors said the case involves irregular payments for emergency food supplies, water trucking services, and office furniture purportedly supplied to the Garissa County Government but allegedly never delivered.
According to the prosecution, between April 5 and June 30, 2022, the accused conspired to facilitate the transfer of KSh 51,495,253 to the company. The charge of fraudulent acquisition specifically relates to payments processed between April 7 and June 30, 2022.
Mr. Korane, who was serving as Director of Accounting Services at the time, was charged with five counts of abuse of office for allegedly approving payments on various dates in April, May, and June 2022. He also faces multiple counts of forgery relating to payment vouchers dated March 29, April 5, April 29, May 24, and June 15, 2022.
The former Senior Principal Economist, Mr. Ali, was charged with abuse of office for allegedly raising invoices in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) on April 6, April 14, May 4, and June 28–29, 2022, actions the prosecution says enabled the disputed payments.
MCA Abdi Ibrahim Daar faces charges of conspiracy, fraudulent acquisition of public property, forgery, and uttering false documents. He is accused of presenting forged payment documents to commercial banks between April and July 2022 to support the questioned transactions.
Prosecution Counsel Evans Kazungu asked the court to impose strict bond terms, citing the seriousness of the offences and the large amount of public funds involved. Defence lawyers, however, urged the court to review the terms, arguing they were excessive.
The court granted each accused a bond of KSh 5 million with one surety or an alternative cash bail of KSh 2 million, revising earlier bond terms of KSh 10 million or KSh 5 million cash bail.
The matter will be mentioned on March 24, 2026, for pre-trial directions, with the hearing scheduled to proceed on a priority basis from May 4 to May 7, 2026.
