Police nab KRA officer with Sh865,100 in cash
A Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) official was on Tuesday arrested in possession of close to Sh1 million in cash, which he could not account for.
The arrest sparked speculations that the government could be losing millions of shillings through graft in revenue collection.
Police arrested the suspect, who is a KRA officer at Moyale post, in Marsabit town in a saloon car with about Sh865,000.
County police commander Bernard Kogo said that the suspect identified as Isaac Ayuma Mocha was found with the cash in a car outside a local commercial bank.
Mr Kogo said police officers pounced on the suspect after they found a strange car parked outside the bank with an occupant on the driver’s seat.
The officers, who included Marsabit OCS Charles Mwangi, stumbled on a bag stashed with money and upon inspection found the huge amount of money. The official was arrested as he could not convincingly explain the source of the cash.
TO BE ARRAIGNED IN COURT
The suspect told the police that he was traveling from his work station to Nairobi and claimed that the money belonged to the owner of the Toyota saloon car he was driving.
“He told my officers that he was ferrying Sh850,000 but police found the amount to be Sh 865,100 when they did actual counting,” Mr Kogo said.
The county security chief added that claims by the suspect that he had been instructed by the supposed owner of the money to bank it on his behalf in Nairobi was contradictory after he made an attempt to deposit it in Marsabit.
When police called the owner of the vehicle, he denied that the money belonged to him.
Mr Kogo disclosed that the information has been brought to the attention of the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) for investigation and necessary action.
He added that the KRA officer will be arraigned in court on charges of being in possession of money suspected to have been unlawfully acquired.