Taita Taveta’s Deputy Speaker, Anselm Mwadime, got arrested by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) due to a fraudulent incident involving the loss of Sh17 million during a supposed bonding trip to Zanzibar.
EACC stated that Mwadime and the Taita Taveta County Assembly Clerk, Gadiel Mnyambo Maganga, had been investigated following a complaint regarding the bonding trip.
According to EACC, “a total amount of Sh 17 million was utilized for the alleged trip, out of which Sh. 9,000,000.00 was directly paid to the organizers for the conference and travel arrangements.”
The remaining Sh. 8 million was given as an imprest advance to 30 officers supposed to attend the training in Zanzibar.
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It was found that the County Assembly allegedly used forged travel clearance letters to justify the trip.
Out of the 30 officers who received imprest, 25 traveled, spending fewer nights than planned, resulting in financial losses.
Some officers didn’t travel at all, while others spent fewer nights than expected, causing additional losses.
Furthermore, officers received a full daily subsistence allowance despite having their accommodation covered by Bonfire Adventures at a lower rate.
This misuse of public funds amounted to significant financial losses.
After sharing the findings with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, EACC charged Mwadime and Maganga with various offenses, including abuse of office, failure to comply with procurement laws, uttering false documents, false accounting, and financial misconduct.
EACC has instructed Maganga to report to its Mombasa Regional Office for further processing.
