Former Finance Minister David Mwiraria is dead

Former Finance Minister David Mwiraria has died aged 78.

Mr Mwiraria succumbed to bone marrow cancer on Thursday, April 13 while undergoing treatment at the Karen Hospital in Nairobi, his family has confirmed.

Mr Mwararia served as Finance Minister between Janury, 2003 and February 1, 2006 in former President Mwai Kibaki’s cabinet.

Following allegations that he had been involved in the Anglo Leasing scandal, he resigned as Finance Minister on February 1, 2006. He was later, July 2007, re-appointed to the Cabinet as the Minister for Environment.

For five years, he had held the shadow finance portfolio.

Mr Mwiria in December, 2015 took plea over the multibillion-shilling Anglo-Leasing scandal from his hospital bed.

He had pleaded not guilty to seven criminal charges in the Anglo-Leasing scandal when the trial magistrate’s court moved its sittings from Milimani Law Courts to his ward at Karen Hospital in Nairobi.

Mr Mwiraria was the first prominent public figure to take plea outside the precincts of court.

The High Court had directed on December 7, 2015 that Mr Mwiraria should take plea by December 14, 2015.

The former Finance Minister was accused of conspiracy to commit an economic crime to defraud the Government of Kenya of Ksh 6.3 billion through a supplier’s financing agreement for the computerisation of security, law and order systems and procedures for a Kenya Police project code-named ‘E-Cops’.

Other charges against him included engaging in a project without prior planning, disobedience of statutory duty and abuse of office.