Former Sports PS Kaberia freed on Sh3m bond over Sh330m CHAN funds case

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 8 — Former Sports Principal Secretary Peter Kirimi Kaberia and five other suspects have been released on bond after being charged over the alleged misappropriation of Sh330 million set aside for preparations to host the 2018 Africa Nations Championship (CHAN).

Kaberia, who is among 16 accused persons in the wider case, was granted a Sh3 million bond or Sh1 million cash bail by the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court on Tuesday.

The court also granted similar terms to former Senior Principal Finance Officer Stephen Njoroge Muthuma, former Principal Accountant Enock Ondwari Onditi, former Senior Superintendent Engineer John Kiende Ruga, company director Anthony Mwangi Kimanthi and Lease Pride Limited.

Samuel Mbaa Njoroge, Taxwise Consulting Limited and Liroma Assurance Services Limited were each granted a Sh2 million bond or Sh600,000 cash bail.

“The accused were charged with abuse of office, unlawful acquisition of public property, failure to comply with procurement laws, acquisition of proceeds of crime and financial misconduct,” ODPP said.

The court ordered all the accused persons to surrender their passports within seven days.

The case will be mentioned on September 15, 2026.

The six suspects appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Isabella Barasa at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court for plea-taking after their arrest by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

All the accused denied the charges.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said the case involves 16 accused persons, including individuals and companies, facing 17 counts linked to the alleged loss of public funds.

The charges include abuse of office, unlawful acquisition of public property, failure to comply with procurement laws, acquisition of proceeds of crime and financial misconduct.

Eight of the accused, including Kaberia, Muthuma, Onditi and Ruga, also face an additional charge of conspiracy to commit an economic crime.

The prosecution, led by Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Norah Achieng and assisted by Principal Prosecution Counsel Kennedy Panyako and Prosecution Counsel Thelma Nanjaya, did not oppose the suspects’ release on bond and bail.

The charges stem from EACC investigations into the procurement and alleged non-delivery of stadium equipment ahead of the 2018 CHAN tournament hosted by Kenya.

At the centre of the investigation is a USD15.89 million (about Sh1.5 billion) contract awarded in 2017 by the then State Department for Sports Development to Auditel Kenya, a local subsidiary of a Spanish company.

The contract covered the supply, installation, testing and commissioning of security and access-control systems, audio-visual networks, communications infrastructure and pitch lighting at various national stadia.

According to the EACC, an advance payment of USD3.15 million, equivalent to about Sh330 million, was paid to Auditel Kenya under a contract that investigators allege was executed in violation of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015.

The anti-graft agency alleges that the contractor failed to fulfil its contractual obligations, resulting in the loss of the Sh330 million.

EACC further alleges that the funds were subsequently moved through several entities in a layered transaction intended to conceal their origin and return the proceeds to local accounts.

Following the investigation, EACC forwarded the inquiry file to the ODPP, which approved the prosecution of the former government officials, company directors and entities implicated in the case.

The anti-graft agency has also directed four other persons of interest to present themselves at the Integrity Centre or the nearest EACC office.

They include former Director of Administration at the State Department for Sports Development Harun Komen Chebet, Auditel Ingenieria Y Servicios director Marcos Gonzalez Puente, former Football Kenya Federation Audit Committee member Kitheka Muema and automobile business consultant Ephraim Muchangi Kinyua.

EACC said it has separately initiated civil proceedings seeking to recover and forfeit public funds and assets allegedly acquired through proceeds of crime.