‘Lost’ emails may delay hearing of Youth Fund case

The trial of Youths Enterprises Development Fund case may take longer to commence following a controversy surrounding what the defence calls as crucial documents, including mail exchanges which cannot be traced.

The prosecution maintains that they have supplied the defence with documents which they will rely on in the matter and has even put at their disposition a number of emails in soft copies asking them to visit the Youth Fund office to pick the same at their convenience.

Advocate representing the Youth Enterprises Development Fund told the court that the office machine crushed but a number of information got retrieved and what defence insists on having, does not form part of evidence. To confirm that machine systems crushed, the ICT officer in charge has put in an affidavit before the court.

In the case, former Youth Enterprise Development Fund boss, Catherine Namuye, and former board chairman, Bruce Odhiambo, have been charged with 12 counts of corruption in relation to the loss of Ksh 180 million of taxpayers’ money.

Ms Namuye and Mr Odhiambo were charged alongside the directors of Quorandum Ltd, Mukuria Ngamau and Doreen Waithera.

The Anti-Corruption Court Magistrate, Laurence Mugambi, will give direction in the matter on June 13, 2017.