Revealed: How junior gov’t officer created a ghost school, pocketed Ksh.11 million

A clerical officer from the Education Ministry is wanted for allegedly diverting over Ksh.11 million meant for free day secondary school education.

According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) who flagged the officer's accounts and filed for the recovery of the money, the clerical officer is based at the State Department of Early Learning and Basic Education.

Joshua Ocharo Momanyi, tasked with data entry, is said to have swindled the Education Ministry by creating a phantom school, Mundeku Secondary School in Khwisero Sub County in Kakamega County.

From August 2017 to June 2018, he would allegedly receive money to his personal account under the ghost school he created and within a span of 12 months, Momanyi had received over Ksh.11 million.

The money trail indicates an Equity bank account operated by Momanyi received Ksh.11.1 million from the 22nd of August 2017 to the 18th of June 2018.

From here the clerical officer transferred Ks. 3.3 million to his second bank account domiciled in Kakamega town.

Momanyi is then said to have used these proceeds to purchase a parcel of land in Mavoko town where he paid Ksh.980,000 from his Equity bank account.

Likewise, he paid Ksh.1.6 million from his Equity account to acquire a vehicle where the balance of Ksh 750,000 was paid in cash.

From the Equity bank account, he withdrew Ksh.3.6 million in cash and another Ksh.3.5 million from his second bank account at KCB Kakamega. In total, he held Ksh.6.9 million of the proceeds in cash.

Similarly, Momanyi allegedly bought a second parcel of land at Ol Donyo Sabuk where he paid Ksh 850,000 from his KCB bank accounts.

In the suit papers filed in court, the EACC now wants the monies recovered or alternatively, for the court to declare the two parcels of land as proceeds of crime which will consequently be forfeited to the State.

The Commission also wants Momanyi to pay Ksh.7.4 million which is the balance retained after the purchase of the two plots.