DPP Withdraws Sh19 Million Graft Case Against Cabinet Nominee Aisha Jumwa

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has withdrawn the Sh19 million graft case against former Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa, who was recently nominated to President Ruto’s Cabinet.

On Wednesday, senior State counsel Alex Akula told Mombasa Chief Magistrate Martha Mutuku that he has received instructions to apply for withdrawal of the charges against Jumwa, the first defendant in the case.

Jumwa, who was nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Gender, was charged alongside six others with embezzlement of Malindi Constituency Development Funds (CDF) amounting to Sh19 million in 2018.

She was accused of irregularly receiving Sh2.5 million from Multserve Contractors Limited, a company awarded a Sh19 million tender for the construction of the Malindi Sub-County Education Office.

Juma was alleged to have concealed the said money, being proceeds of crime, through depositing an installment towards the purchase of an apartment along Argwings Kodhek Road in Nairobi, according to DPP.

Her co-defendants are Wachu Omar Abdalla, Kennedy Otieno Onyango, Bernard Riba Kai, Sophia Saidi Charo, Margaret Faith Kalume, and Robert Katana Wanje, a director of Multserve Contractors Limited.

Jumwa's legal team led by Jared Magolo has welcomed the move to withdraw the case against her and sought an apology from the government for the charges pressed against her. The case against Jumwa’s co-accused will continue. 

The case will be mentioned on October 17th for further direction.