The Nakuru County director of the national environment agency was this morning charged with corruption in a local court.
Wilfred Osumo was arraigned before Nakuru resident magistrate Felix Kubo, where he denied four charges related to graft facing him.
The first charge stated that on July 17 this year he received a Sh10,000 bribe from a businessman, George Gichaga, who runs a petrol station located near Nakuru town’s Gilani's supermarket.
The bribe was reportedly to prevent the filling station from being closed down for failing to enforce or adhere to the National Environment Management Authority (Nema) statutory laws.
It was also alleged that on July 24 and 25, the accused received Sh20,000 from the same businessman for the same reasons while a fourth charge accused the Nakuru Nema boss of attempting to bribe officers of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission so as to induce them to drop possible corruption-related action against him.
Through his advocate, David Mong’eri, the accused successfully applied and was granted bail set at Sh50,000 with a similar surety.
The court also granted Mongeri’s request that his client be furnished, within a month, with witnesses’ statements plus video and sound clips that the State intends to produce as evidence in order to prepare for his defence.
The magistrate ordered that the case be heard on 30 October this year.