Mwangi Wa Iria ordered to immediately appear before EACC pending arraignment over Ksh.140M graft

The High Court on Monday ordered former Murang’a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria to immediately present himself at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) headquarters in Nairobi.

Justice Nixon Sifuna ordered Wa Iria and others yet to take plea in the Ksh.140 million Murang’a County graft case to present before EACC for fingerprint taking and statement recording ahead of plea-taking at the Milimani Law Courts on Tuesday.

Failure to do this, the court directed that they be arrested.

Wa Iria had alongside his co-accused persons in the case – his wife Jane Waigwe Kimani, brother-in-law Solomon Mutura Kimani – obtained conservatory orders from Murang’a High Court.

Justice James Wakiaga of the Murang’a High Court, however, vacated the orders on April 25 and referred the file to the Nairobi High Court Division on Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes for further directions.

The petition challenging the DPP’s decision to charge Wairia and the co-accused will be mentioned on May 2.

 Wa Iria, his wife and brother-in-law are accused alongside Patrick Kagumu Mukuria, Jane Wanjiru Mbuthia, David Maina Kiama and David Mamma Njeri.

They are linked to procurement fraud through the award of irregular tenders and other irregularities totalling Ksh.140 million between 2015 and 2016.