Ex-NYS deputy boss, tender committee chair freed on bail

Former National Youth Service (NYS) deputy director general, Adan Harakhe, and former Ministerial Tender Committee chairman, Hassan Noor, have been freed on a Ksh 1 million cash bail each with an alternative bond on Ksh 3 million each.

The two pleaded not guilty to economic-related crimes after a warrant of arrest issued against them on Friday, November 25 was lifted Monday morning.

While discharging the warrants, Anti-Corruption Magistrate, Felix Kombo, said that there was miscommunication between the prosecution and the defense on the date to appear in court and, therefore, discharged the warrants.

“The two were not bonded for last Friday, they were directed to appear in court this Tuesday,” the court heard.

The two pleaded not guilty to abuse of office charges and willful failure to comply with the Public Procurement and Disposal Act.

According to the charge sheet, Noor is alleged to have failed to adhere to the procurement law by approving the use of restricted tendering method for the procurement of training materials in the automotive engineering faculty whereas the requirements of the said method had not been satisfied. An offence alleged to have been committed on December 16, 2014.

On the other hand, Harakhe is alleged to have abused his office by improperly conferring a benefit to Blue Star Enterprise to wit over Ksh 47 million by executing a local purchase order for the supply of automotive engineering training material to NYS without procurement procedures having been complied with.

An offence alleged to have been committed on diverse dates between March 3, 2015 and April 10, 2015.

They two are among the 24 officials that are suspected to have defrauded the service of 1.6 billion Shillings.

The other suspects, including former Devolution Principal Secretary, Eng Peter Mangiti, and former Director of Finance at NYS, Samuel Wachenje, were grilled by EACC and charged with various offences with connection to the NYS scam on Friday.