NYS Scandal: Former Youth Affairs PS Lillian Omollo Explains How She Earned Millions Deposited in Her Accounts

Former Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Lilian Mbogo Omollo has defended the source of millions of shillings deposited into her bank accounts and those of her family members.

This comes after the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) froze the accounts containing a combined Sh40 million over suspicion that they were looted from the National Youth Service (NYS).

ARA claims that the funds were wired into the accounts in batches of Sh900,000 to avoid flouting Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) regulations. The accounts include six at Equity Bank registered under Lilian Muthoni Mbogo and three of her children.

Ms Omollo is among more than 40 suspects charged over the loss of over 400 million shillings from the youth agency.

ARA says the amounts were channeled into the said accounts at a period when the alleged looting of taxpayers cash at NYS took place.

Appearing before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) for questioning, Ms Omollo has explained that the cash was from her husband, Dick Achieng Oneko. Oneko has also been interrogated.

She says the monies were earned from the sale of farm produce including tomatoes, cucumbers, water melons and other vegetables. Ms Omollo notes that the produce was grown in greenhouses at their farm in Siaya County. 

She adds that the amounts were split and deposited in different bank accounts. Prodded to explain why they chose to deposit the cash in Nairobi instead of Siaya, she says they would keep it in a safe before making deposits.

She could not however produce any receipts as proof of the sales, but states that individuals bought the produce.

Her husband says he also earned some of the cash from a consultancy company known as Nile International in South Sudan. He explains that he was paid in cash and did not sign any documents to back up the payments.