Court allows DPP to drop Ksh.233M graft case against ex-Garissa Governor Ali Korane

Former Garissa Governor Ali Korane can now breathe a sigh of relief after a Nairobi court allowed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to withdraw a multi-million shilling graft case against him.

In the case, Korane and four members of his administration were charged with, among others, suspicion of committing economic crimes as well as misappropriation of funds.

Korane was alleged to have embezzled Ksh.233,506,000 allocated to the Garissa County government by the World Bank as a conditional grant for the Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP).

The grant was to be used to construct Qorahey market, re-carpet Garissa township roads and put up storm water drainage and pedestrian walkways.

In its application to withdraw the charges, the DPP told the court that no public finances were ever lost as projects for which the funds in question were earmarked were actually completed.

“...the prosecution counsel was satisfied that no public finances had been misappropriated. That it was no longer desirable to the directorate of public prosecutions to continue with the prosecution in those circumstances,” ruled Magistrate Zipporah Gichana.

“Having considered the application by the prosecution to withdraw charges and the reasons given for the decision; I allow the application for withdrawal of charges as prayed.”

The magistrate added: “Further orders for release of the accused persons' securities placed before court as bond as well as release of their passports held by court following the order of court on bond terms. It is so ordered.”