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Ongoro explains where all the millions she is accused of embezzling went

By Amina Wako October 31st, 2019 2 min read

Former Member of Parliament for Kasarani, Elizabeth Ongoro, has attributed her woes to political witch-hunt.

Ongoro was speaking immediately she walked out of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) offices where she spent most her Thursday morning.

GHOST PROJECT

Ongoro presented herself at the anti-graft body days after detectives at the EACC started pursuing her over a ghost project that has seen the taxpayers lose Sh48.9 million.

While addressing the media immediately she walked out of EACC offices, the former MP said she transferred the money that was meant to build Kasarani Girls Secondary School to Kariobangi Girls Secondary School.

“There were running battles every single day. There was construction ongoing during the day and running battles at night. We even lost lives. As the area MP I had to make a decision and there were only two decisions. Construct the school or return the money,” said Ongoro.

Ongoro added she left the Kasarani land with only a foundation that they had started when they initially wanted to build the school.

She further stated that at no given time was she a signatory in any of the accounts.

“I am actually shocked that 13 years later, somebody comes up to claim that money was lost. This is a political battle and the battle is for me. This is a process of eliminating me from Nairobi politic,” she said.

EMBEZZLEMENT

She says she decided to transfer the funds after a lengthy decision with the Ministry of Public works and the Ministry of Education.

“The Ministry of Education bought as an appropriate land in Kariobangi which was within Kasarani Constituency, so I processed to build a complete girl secondary School in Kariobangi which started operating in 2012,” she said.

In a statement that was issued by the anti-graft body, the amount was paid to business people in a fraudulent procurement process, for a non-existent Kasarani Girls High School.

Ongoro, her husband Ferdinand Masha Kenga, and a Kenyan diplomat based in Malaysia are among the 22 charged with embezzlement but the three did not appear in court on Monday to answer to the charges alongside civil servants, a tailor and former CDF Committee members and project managers.

EACC Chief Executive Office Twalib Mbarak said the money was paid to different individuals and five entities, all associated to the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) patron and committee members.