News that a suspect in the first National Youth Service (NYS) scandal, Selesio Karanja, has been sentenced to four years in jail or pay a fine of Ksh4 million has apparently not gone well with Kenyans.
Even the fact that Selesio has also been locked out of holding any public office in future did not seem to calm down the irrate Kenyans who believe that DPP Haji and the Judiciary could do better.
Delivering the ruling, Chief Magistrate Lawrence Mugambi at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court found said that Karanja was guilty of fraudulent practice involving a tender worth Ksh47.6 million.
At the time of the scandal involving the loss of Ksh791 million, Karanja was a supply chain assistant in the Ministry of Devolution and Planning in 2015.
He faced charges alongside former Devolution PS Engineer Peter Mangiti and 23 others who were acquitted.
He was later charged on his own for inserting Dama Services Ltd in the tender opening register for the procurement of training materials in the Automotive Engineering faculty without approval. The tender was estimated at Ksh47.6 million.
Below are reactions from a number of Kenyans after the ruling on Selesio’s case.
CORRUPTION TAX
Selesio Karanja gets a fine of 4M for 47.3 M Fraud Case at NYS?
HE GETS TO ENJOY 43Million! IKO SHIDA
Khawar Qureshi
Nyeri
Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/9gAlmX5fJK— MWANANCHI (@Mwana_nchi) January 17, 2019
This Selesio Karanja loots 46M,
He’s penanced 4M, balance left after penance is 42M. This simply means steal more and you safe but steal less and you rot in custody— Rafiki_ke ?? (@fidel_Ke) January 17, 2019
May be selesio karanja accepted the guilty plea and from 40M he remains with a clean 36M.Its still good bizz coz if he gets acquitted he will have to pay lawyers fee amounting to millions. @NYS thieves see the light at the end of the channel,whichever way the case go
— ben (@14may125) January 17, 2019
Selesio Karanja has just got away with the loot he took from the public coffers! Obviously after stealing 47.3M he cant fail to pay 4M fine! When you steal, go for huge/large sums of money. You will pay a “small” fine,be free and then join politics to protect your loot!
— Lloyd Onyango (@lloydOnyango) January 17, 2019
I think this guy Selesio Karanja
should have paid the 46 million+ 4million fine and then sent to jail for 4 years… We will not condone corruption in this our Kenya. Tumekataa— Miss_Omariba (@OmaribaFlorence) January 17, 2019