Former Migori Governor Okoth Obado has handed over assets worth Ksh235 million to the State after striking a plea bargain agreement with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
In a statement released on Friday, September 5, the DPP confirmed that the recovery of the multi-million-shilling properties paved the way for the case against Obado to be dropped.
The deal followed a request by Obado to resolve the case through an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism. He had been facing charges, alongside 17 others, over the alleged misappropriation of Ksh73.4 million during his tenure as governor.
Under the agreement, Obado surrendered assets valued at three times the contested amount. They included eight parcels of land and two Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles, all valued at Ksh235.6 million.
The forfeited properties include:
- Loresho Ridge House – Ksh40 million
- Sunrise Centre Commercial Block, Suna East – Ksh88 million
- Two five-storey residential blocks
- with 40 units in Suna East – Ksh57.6 million
- Two apartments in Greenspan, Nairobi – Ksh18 million
- A maisonette in Greenspan, Nairobi – Ksh14.5 million
- Residential property in Kamagambo – Ksh10 million
- Two single-storey blocks with eight one-bedroom units in Suna East – Ksh7.7 million
Obado and his co-accused were first charged in 2021 with 25 counts, including conspiracy to commit an economic crime, money laundering, conflict of interest, and unlawful acquisition of public property. The case stemmed from allegations of siphoning funds from the Migori County Government between 2013 and 2017.
The former governor was first arrested in August 2020, with investigators linking the transactions to 13 companies allegedly used to channel county funds. Four of his children were also named in the case, accused of benefiting from payments made by the companies.
DPP Renson Ingonga revealed that negotiations with Obado involved several meetings between the prosecution team, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and defence lawyers. A consensus was reached earlier this week.
This outcome comes despite earlier reports suggesting that the EACC had not agreed to any deal, raising speculation on whether the settlement had full backing from all investigative agencies.
Initially, the EACC had sought to recover over Ksh1.9 billion from Obado and more than 20 others linked to fictitious procurement contracts in Migori.
