Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to Withdraw graft Charges Against ex-Governor Obado

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions intends to withdraw corruption charges against former Migori Governor Okoth Obado.

The ODPP, alongside the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), had applied for a one-month adjournment to allow for the conclusion of ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching an out-of-court settlement through plea bargains.

The court was informed that the parties are engaged in advanced talks, and more time is needed to finalise the agreements.

Obado, four of his children, and several co-accused were implicated in the Ksh.505 million corruption case.

The EACC has however said it has not signed the plea bargain agreement.

The matter has been moved to Friday this week.

EACC had initially sought to recover more than Ksh.1.9 billion allegedly misappropriated by Obado and more than 20 others from the Migori County government through fictitious procurement contracts.

Obado and the EACC reached a settlement to surrender properties worth Ksh.428 million.

At the centre of the case is the alleged embezzlement of Sh73 million from the Migori County Government, part of a wider probe into suspicious payments worth Sh1.98 billion made during Obado’s tenure.

While the EACC confirmed that most of the payments were legitimate, it flagged Sh235 million as fraudulent, with proceeds allegedly used to pay school fees for Obado’s children in foreign universities and to acquire high-end properties for his family.

Obado was charged in 2020 alongside his four children — Dan, Scarlet, Jerry, and Evelyne Okoth** — as well as several associates, including Jared Kwaga, Joram Opala, and Patroba Ochanda.

They face charges ranging from conspiracy to commit economic crimes, conflict of interest, unlawful acquisition of public property, and money laundering.

On July, the EACC, together with the ODPP, applied for a one-month adjournment to allow for the conclusion of ongoing negotiations aimed at reaching an out-of-court settlement through plea bargains.

The court was informed at the time that the parties are engaged in advanced talks, and more time is needed to finalize the agreements.