Nairobi, Kenya — The Nairobi Anti-Corruption Court has convicted a former Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC) employee for defrauding the utility firm of more than Ksh7 million, sentencing him to a heavy financial penalty amounting to Ksh14.6 million.
Delivering judgment on Friday, August 29, Principal Magistrate Hon. Charles Ondieki found Lawrence Masinde Barasa guilty on three counts: fraudulent acquisition of public property, uttering a false document, and deceiving a principal.
According to evidence presented in court, Barasa forged a Diploma in Information Technology certificate allegedly from Eldoret Polytechnic, which he used to secure employment at NCWSC. Through this irregular appointment, he illegally drew salaries and allowances totaling Ksh7,123,963.
In line with Kenya’s anti-corruption laws, the magistrate imposed a mandatory penalty of Ksh14,347,926, twice the value of the unlawfully acquired funds. Additionally, Barasa was fined Ksh100,000 for each of the three counts, with default custodial sentences of one year each.
“The court directed that all default sentences shall run consecutively,” a statement from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) confirmed. Barasa was also reminded of his right to appeal the ruling within 14 days.
The case marks yet another high-profile conviction as EACC intensifies its pursuit of graft-related offenses.
In a separate development, the commission on Tuesday, August 26, arrested Hezron Junior Opiyo, a senior accountant in the Siaya County Department of Finance and Economic Planning. He is accused of embezzling over Ksh100 million through fictitious allowances, part of an alleged larger scheme siphoning nearly Ksh400 million from county coffers.
Opiyo was held at Kisumu Port Police Station and was expected to be arraigned before the Kisumu Anti-Corruption Court on Wednesday, August 27. Alongside the criminal charges, EACC has initiated a civil recovery process seeking Ksh102.9 million plus accrued interest, representing the alleged stolen sums.
The two cases underscore growing judicial momentum in the fight against corruption, even as watchdog agencies maintain pressure on both county and national government officials to account for public funds.
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