By Andrew Kariuki
Hon Josphat Gichunge Mwirabua Kabeabea, the chair of the Anti Counterfeit Authority board, has been charged at the Milimani Anti Corruption Court with several counts of receiving bribes and handling proceeds of crime.
Prosecutors say he solicited payments from a businessman in exchange for protection from arrest over alleged counterfeit motor vehicle spare parts, a claim that undermines the very mandate of the agency he leads.
Kabeabea faced four separate counts of receiving a bribe contrary to Section 6(1)(a) as read with Section 18 of the Anti-Bribery Act No. 47 of 2023.
According to the charge sheet, the offences were committed on November 11, 2025, when he allegedly requested from businessman Du Zhisheng sums of Ksh5,000,000, Ksh1,000,000 and Ksh300,000 with the intention of forbearing to arrest and charge him.
In a fourth count, he is accused of receiving Ksh144,500 through a mobile phone number belonging to Ntorui Erastus Kaibi under the same inducement.
He was further charged with acquisition of proceeds of crime contrary to Section 4(a) as read with Section 16(1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, with prosecutors stating that he obtained the Ksh144,500 while knowing or having reason to believe it was the proceeds of bribery.
An alternative charge accuses him of possession of proceeds of crime contrary to Section 4(c) as read with Section 16(1) of the same Act, alleging that he held the money in his own mobile number, after it was transferred through Kaibi’s account.
The prosecution told the court that the payments were made during alleged negotiations in which the accused promised not to arrest or charge the complainant over purported counterfeit trade activities.
He pleaded not guity to all counts before him.
After taking plea, the court released Kabeabea on a cash bail of Ksh1 million.
Senior Magistrate Celesa Okore directed that the matter proceed to pretrial on December 8 and issued orders barring the prosecution from making any adverse or prejudicial statements on social media that could undermine the merit of the case ahead of judicial determination.
