Former Samburu Governor Moses Kasaine Lenolkulal has gone into Kenyan history books as the first ex-Governor or sitting in Kenya to be convicted in a graft case in the 2010 constitution.
While pronouncing his sentence, Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzyoki jailed Lenolkulal for eight years or a fine of Ksh 85 million.
Chief Magistrate Thomas Nzyoki ruled that Lenolkulal and Hesbon Ndathi should further pay a mandatory of Ksh 83 million.
EACC in welcoming the move said the case set precedence and hinted at the pursuit of a senior official over some Ksh 600 million worth of unexplained wealth.
During Mitigation, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution led by Joseph Riungu and Alex Akula had urged the court to impose the maximum jail term and fine on the Governor and his accomplices.
In their plea for leniency, the convict’s defence Counsels called for a non-custodial sentence saying the pronouncement that they were guilty was torturous enough.
His eight other accomplices have each been fined between Ksh 700,000 and Ksh 1 million or four years imprisonment.
Lenolkulal has vowed to challenge the verdict at the High Court.
He becomes the first ex-Governor in the country to be convicted of graft since the promulgation of the 2010 constitution.
The court also barred him and his co-accused from running for public office for a period of 10 years.
