Nairobi — Former Director General of the Kenya National Museums, Mzalendo Kibunja, along with administrative officers from his tenure have been charged for corruptly receiving Sh400 million from the organization under the guise of paying non-existent workers.

They all denied the charges at the Anti-corruption court in Nairobi Tuesday and were ordered to deposit Sh5 million cash bail each or Sh10 million bond to secure their freedom as the case progresses ahead of a June 2 mention.

According to the prosecution, the offence occurred between 2016 and 2022.

The court was informed that Kibunja, along with Stanvas Ongalo (Director of Human Resources & Administration), Oliver Rabuor (ICT Officer), Wycliffe Ongatta (Payroll Accountant), and Oscar Mwaura (bank employee), received Sh441,392,075, purportedly for gratuity payments to individuals falsely claimed to be employed by the National Museums of Kenya.

Court documents show that between February 1, 2022, and July 1, 2022, the accused allegedly received Sh49 million, falsely represented as salary payments for Kenya National Museums of Kenya staff.

They also faced charges of money laundering and abuse of office, all of which they denied.

Defense counsel Duncan Okatch urged the court not to be swayed solely by the amount of money stated in the charge sheet when considering bond and bail for the accused individuals.

The case is scheduled for mention on June 2, 2024, for a pre-trial conference.