Former West Pokot Governor Prof. John Lonyangapuo and seven co-accused have been acquitted in a long-running procurement case involving the purchase of maize worth Ksh.18 million.
Delivering the ruling, Eldoret Principal Magistrate Richard Odenyo declared that no laws were breached and no public funds lost during the maize procurement process carried out eight years ago. The court determined that the County Government of West Pokot followed the proper procedure in purchasing 5,000 bags of maize intended for vulnerable residents.
Those acquitted alongside Prof. Lonyangapuo include former county secretary Mike Parklea, Solomon Mereng, Alice Chepkosgei, Joseph Lolamtumtum, Elvis Mwanga, Titus Mayech, and trader Margaret Tuitoek. The group had been accused of flouting procurement laws by using a direct purchase method rather than open tendering.
In his earlier testimony, Prof. Lonyangapuo defended the emergency procurement, citing an urgent hunger crisis in West Pokot at the time. He told the court that he convened a Cabinet meeting that approved the direct sourcing of maize from neighboring Trans Nzoia County to prevent starvation among his constituents.
“I could not sit back and watch the people who elected me die of hunger simply because of red tape,” Lonyangapuo said during cross-examination.
The acquittal ends years of legal uncertainty for the former governor and his co-accused, who had maintained their innocence throughout the proceedings.
Written By Rodney Mbua
