High-profile graft trial begins

The trial of a group implicated in a scam at Kenya’s National Youth Service (NYS) during which $4.6m was lost, is underway in Nairobi. The Nation reports that the prosecution said it would show how the Integrated Financial Management System was manipulated to embezzle public funds. Chief prosecutor Verah Amisi said she planned to reveal how former accountant Lillian Omollo did not use the funds in accordance with the law and failed to consult Parliament and the Treasury as required. She said she had evidence of forged circulars and genuine contractors’ numbers that were illegally used to pay non-existent suppliers. Legalbrief reports that the scandal rocked the Ministry of Devolution and Planning in 2015, leading to the resignation of senior government officials.