NYS scandal suspect is being detained after surety was withdrawn

Ann Wambere Wanjiku Ngirita, the woman involved in a 2018 National Youth Service (NYS) scandal, is being detained by police after an Anti-corruption Court ordered her to find another surety.

Magistrate Eunice Kagure ordered that the Nakuru Woman Representative hopeful to find another surety after the property listed was withdrawn by a man named Stephen.

This comes barely a week after Ngirita sought to jump ship from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to join the Jubilee party through which she would run for the Nakuru women representative seat.

The Jubilee party, however, rejected her saying she must present clearance from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to seek the party ticket ahead of the August 9 General Election.

File image of NYS scandal Anne Ngirita (right) and Phillis Ngirita in court Pulse Live Kenya

"Yes I was in UDA but I exited the party. This is because Raila urged those who had defected from his party to return home and I felt like the prodigal child. Moving to UDA was out of peer pressure. Hence, I will vie for the Nakuru Woman Representative seat," she stated.

Ngirita was at the centre of an NYS corruption investigation after she was accused of receiving Sh60 million despite not supplying anything.

Her relatives, Phyllis Ngirita, Lucy Ngirita, and Jeremiah Ngirita, were all implicated in the scandal.

"Between them, they received approximately Sh400 million from NYS and used some of the money to acquire the properties which constitute proceeds of crime.

“Evidence shows that on the periods they received the money, they went on a spending spree to hide their theft,” read a past ruling by then High Court Justice Mumbi Ngugi.