Man charged over military recruitment fraud

A man has been presented in court and denied a charge of allegedly receiving money from another person to facilitate him get a job with  the Kenya Defense Forces (KDF).

Ali Adam Watako who had been arrested in Mumias town,Kakamega county on Monday by officers from Langata DCI office after being sought for long was  brought to Kibera law court on Wednesday to answer to  charges facing him.

He was presented before Kibera  Senior Principal Magistrate Samson Temu.

The charge facing the accused read that on different dates between July 01,2023 and October 10,2023 within the country with intent to defraud obtained from Collins Okumu Taabu a sum of Sh106 700 by pretending that he was in a position to facilitate him to join Kenya Defense Forces.

According to the charge sheet Watako did this while knowing that his facts were false.

In documents seen in court,the accused is claimed to have  invoked the name of Roots party leader Prof George Wajackoyah which according to the complainant he informed him that the money was to be given to Wajackoyah to help in facilitating Taabu to  join  the military.

On his part Watako told police that the money he got in bits from Taabu was a debt that he intended to pay him later.

"The total amount of Sh106 700 that I received from him was a debt that I informed him that I will repay him later,"Watako told police.

Watako pleaded with the magistrate to release him on an affordable bail terms informing him that he had a family,affixed abode and would not escape from attending court proceedings whenever he`s  required to.

Temu released the accused on a cash bail of Sh50 000.

The case will be mentioned for pretrial on January 29.