Shollei denies irregular purchase of CJ’s house

Shollei who on Monday morning appeared before a magistrate court was released on Sh600,000 cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh1.5 million/CFM

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 24 – Former Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Gladys Boss Shollei on Monday denied charges relating to the suspected illegal procurement of a residence for the Chief Justice valued at Sh310 million.

Shollei denied improperly conferring a benefit to Johnson Nduya Muthama Holdings Limited from whom the Runda residence was purchased.

She also denied wilfully failing to comply with the law on management of public funds as the Judiciary’s accounting officer at the time and engaging in the project without prior planning.

Shollei is charged alongside her former deputy Kakai Kissinger and five former members of the Judiciary’s tender committee who approved the purchase.

Kissinger and the five, Martin Okwatta, Benedict Omollo, Wycliffe Wanga, Thomas Oloko Atak and Nicholas Mbeba took their pleas on August 5 in the absence of Shollei who was said to be out of the country.

They denied the engaging in a project without prior planning, failing to comply with the law on tendering and for going against the recommendation of the evaluation committee on accepting the lowest bid for the residence.

All the accused, Shollei included were released on payment of a Sh600,000 cash bail with the alternative of a Sh1.5 million bond.

Shollei’s lawyer Paul Ng’arua had appealed for lenient bond terms as his client has been out of work since her sacking by the Judicial Service Commission in 2013.

He also described her as a mother with minors to provide for.

The case will be mentioned on September 7 with all the accused directed to be present in court for the setting of hearing dates and for a ruling regarding the transfer of documents from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to the Director of Public Prosecutions.

About The Author

OLIVE BURROWS

With a decade of storytelling under her belt, Olive Burrows has been with Capital FM for the last four years and perhaps most notably interviewed US President Barack Obama. Committed to asking the hard questions and telling the story in the most engaging way possible, she has also interviewed Melinda Gates, a UK Minister and severally had the opportunity to sit across from President Uhuru Kenyatta and address the pressing issues of the day. Other notables she has had occasion to seek answers from are UN Secretary General António Guterres and John Kerry in his time as US Secretary of State.

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