MOMBASA, Kenya, Feb 26 — Anselm Mwadime, the Deputy Speaker of Taita Taveta County Assembly, has been charged with fraud over irregular expenditure on a 2022 trip to Zanzibar.
Mwadime, Member for Mwanda Mghange, was arraigned before a Mombasa Anti-Corruption Court on Monday following his arrest on Sunday.
He faced abuse of office charges for clearing a Sh17 million expenditure to facilitate what the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) described as a bonding trip.
The agency specifically singled out a Sh1.3 million payment to five secretariat members who were not members of the Liason Committee entitled to the said benefits.
Further, EACC cited financial misconduct over the approval of a Sh795,675 payment for three other members identified as Chrispus Tondo, Rose Sariki, and Mohamed Omar.
The anti-graft agency told the court the week-long Zanzibar trip cost the taxpayer Sh8 million in advance imprest with Sh9 million having been paid to conference organizers.
Mwadime denied all the charges before Mombasa Chief Magistrate Alex Ithuku.
He was granted Sh1 million surety bond with a Sh500,000 cash bail alternative pending a mention on March 11.
