Bernard Njinu Njiraini, Managing Director of the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Joseph Kiago Kaguru, Deputy Commissioner of the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), and six others have been charged with stealing 20,000 bags of condemned brown sugar worth over Ksh20 million.
The eight suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, abuse of office, stealing, interfering with commodities subject to customs control, and being in possession of restricted goods when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina.
The other accused persons were two suspended KRA employees, Derrick Njeru Kago and Peter Njoroge Mwangi, as well as a shipping agent at Mombasa port, Crispus Waithaka Macharia, and merchants Mohammed Hassan Ali, Abdi Hirsi Yusuf alias Blackie, and Pollyanne Njeri Kamau.
In count one, the accused were charged that on various dates between December 9, 2022, and May 3, 2023, at an unknown location within the Republic of Kenya, they conspired to steal condemned brown sugar valued at Ksh20,064,000 with the intent of using it as raw material for the distribution of industrial ethanol owned by the Kenya Revenue Authority.
“On diverse dates between April 21 and May 3, 2023, at Kings Commodities Limited Godown at Makongeni area Thika township in Kiambu county, the eight accused persons jointly with others not before court stole 20,064-50 kilograms of condemned brown sugar valued at Ksh 20 Million intended to be used as raw material for distillation of industrial Ethanol the property of KRA,” reads the charge sheet.
