Former Sports CS Hassan Wario Evades Six-Year Prison Term After Paying Sh3.6 Million Fine

Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario has saved himself from serving a six-year prison term.

Wario, who was handed the sentence by a Nairobi court on Thursday, was released after paying a Sh3.6 million fine.

The court ordered him to pay a Sh3.6 million fine or serve a six-year prison term in default after he was found guilty of corruption, abuse of office, and misappropriation of public funds during the 2016 Olympics Games in Rio, Brazil.

The court found that he abused his office by allowing three joyriders to travel to Rio without being part of Team Kenya.

Through his lawyer Rogers Sagana, Wario pleaded with the court to grant him a lenient sentence, saying he had learned from his mistake and that he is a remorseful offender having been dropped from the cabinet and his position as Kenya’s Ambassador to Austria.

Wario’s co-accused Stephen Soi, a former National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) official and Team Kenya Head of Delegation, was fined Sh105 million or serve a 12-year prison sentence in default.

While convicting the two, Chief Magistrate Elizabeth Juma of the anti-corruption court said Wario did not have the mandate to allow the three - Monica Sairo, Richard Abura, and Edan Adow - to travel to Brazil for the 2016 Olympic Games.

“The additional names were included after they closed the accreditation. Clearly, this was an indicator that the three were not part of the team Kenya,” ruled the magistrate.