Wario charged with six counts of abuse of office

Ex-Sports Cabinet Secretary Dr. Hassan Wario has been arraigned and charged with six counts of abuse of office.

Wario who before Chief Magistrate Douglas Ogoti however pleaded not guilty and was released on a Ksh. 2 million bond with an alternative of a Ksh. 1 million cash bail.

According to the charge sheet, Wario is accused of among other things including Aden Omar Enow in the Kenyan delegation team to travel to Brazil for the Rio Olympics Games in 2016, leading to the loss of public funds amounting to Ksh.1.5 million.

Wario was charged alongside former director of administration Haron Komen who was facing 3 counts of abuse of office among them getting air tickets without planning.

Komen also pleaded not guilty.

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) however requested that the plea on athletics legend Kipchoge Keino be deferred for seven days.

According to the DPP, Keino who was not present in court, recorded a further statement and handed documents to detectives during Thursday’s grilling.

Kipchoge Keino is expected to be turned into a witness in the Ksh.55 million case.

Keen was among seven people the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji had approved charges against in relation to the Rio Scandal.

The former sports officials have been implicated in the misappropriation of over Ksh.55 million that were set aside for the Rio Olympic games.

The officials are charged with among other things, making unauthorised payments, over-payment of allowances amounting to over Ksh.15 million and purchasing tickets worth Ksh.22 million which were not used by athletes or officials in the trip that was full of joyriders.

DPP Noordin Hajji said there is sufficient evidence  to charge the officials with misappropriation of over Ksh.55 million.

The 2016 Rio Olympics Kenya’s Chef de mission  Stephen Arap Soi and National National Olympics Committee’s FK Paul were the first to be charged over the same scandal.

The trial is set to start in November 16,2018.