Ngirita: My son is turning into ‘chokoraa’, can’t speak German anymore
One of the main suspects in the multi-million National Youth Service (NYS) scandal Phyllis Njeri Ngirita has narrated her family’s agony since they were arrested and charged two years ago.
Addressing reporters outside Milimani Law Courts on Monday, an emotional Njeri lamented over the freezing of the family’s bank accounts and assets.
IMPOUNDED CARS
She claimed her son, who is in Class Seven at the high-end Pembroke House School in Gilgil, has been at home due to fees arrears amounting to Sh3.4 million.
She also claimed that her son, who used to be fluent in German, has now been reduced to a chokoraa and can now only speak in Kikuyu, Swahili and English.
“Miaka mbili tumeteseka. Mtoto aliacha shule, anaelekea kuwa chokoraa… Wamekataa kabisa kufungua hiyo account. So mtoto ata hawezi ongea Kijerumani, anaongea Kikuyu na Kiswahili ama Kizungu,” a teary Njeri said.
She also said the family has been forced to use public service vehicles after their cars were seized and are now rusting away at Naivasha Police Station.
“Sai nitatoka hapa na huyu mtoto twende nyumbani na matatu… gari yangu inaozea police station na nilinunua na malipo ya pole pole,” she added.
Njeri also questioned why the government was unfairly treating her family while other suspects in the NYS scandal are walking free.
“Hii ni maisha gani tunapitia… Ukienda Naivasha Police Station, gari zetu zimeekwa hapo kama decoration. Wame-exaggerate wanasema ati nyumba zote Naivasha ni zetu. Wanasema tuliiba Sh 9 billion. Iko wapi hiyo pesa?” she posed.
“I want the president to know that we are being persecuted. My family has been through a lot. I used to work and all my money is stuck at NYS… I’d rather die or be thrown in jail than go through this,” she said as she wept uncontrollably.
FROZEN ACCOUNT
She accused investigators and prosecutors of leaving out a key person in the theft of the tax-payers money at NYS.
On January 23, 2020, Njeri broke down at Milimani Law Courts after a magistrate pushed forward the ruling on her application to be allowed to withdraw Sh800,000 from her frozen bank account.
Ms Njeri has filed an application seeking access to her account at KCB to pay school fees for her son.
She is charged alongside her sister Anne Ngirita, brother, Jeremiah Gichini Ngirita and their mother, Lucy Wambui Ngitira who received Sh361 million from the NYS between November 2015 and April 2018.
The State has since managed to trace properties worth less than Sh100 million and undisclosed cash in bank accounts.
Documents filed in court showed that the NYS paid a total of Sh57 million directly into Ms Njeri’s personal account contrary to procedure.
The Assets Recovery Agency said the payments are a clear case of fraud because there is no evidence of goods or services procured by the NYS directly from her.