Former CS Rashid Echesa Charged over Sh39 Billion Fake Military Tender

Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa was on Monday arraigned in a Nairobi court over the Sh39 billion fake military equipment tender.

Appearing before Chief Magistrate Kennedy Cheruiyot, Echesa and his co-accused were charged with 12 fraud-related offenses including conspiracy to commit a felony, authoring a document without authority, impersonation, and obtaining money by false pretenses.

They all pleaded not guilty to the charges pressed against them. Echesa is charged alongside Daniel Otieno Omondi, Clifford Okoth Onyango and Kennedy Oyoo Mboya.

The court was told that on October 21st, 2019, the accused persons obtained Sh11.5 million from Kozlowski Stanley Bruno by falsely pretending they were in a position to help him win a tender for supply of military equipment worth Sh39 billion to the Ministry of Defense.

Further, the court heard that Echesa falsely presented himself to Kozlowski Stanley Bruno and Mamdough Mostafa Amer, both foreigners, as Deputy President William Ruto’s personal assistant at Harambee House Annex on February 13th, 2020.

On the other hand, suspect Daniel Otieno is accused of impersonating Kenya Defense Forces’ General Juma and pretending he could award the two foreigners a contract for the supply, delivery, installation, commissioning and maintenance of integrated and security surveillance system.

The charge sheet also stated that the four accused persons attempted to obtain Sh39 billion from Kozlowski Stanley Bruno by falsely pretending they were in a position to award him the multi-billion-shilling contract for the supply of the military equipment.