The Milimani Law Courts /FILETwo more suspects have been charged in connection with an alleged Sh1.5 billion fraud involving the Programme for Rural Outreach of Financial Innovations and Technologies (PROFIT).
This brings the number of people charged in the case to 13.
According to a statement by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Eric Otieno Achila and Susan Wangari appeared before the Anti-Corruption Court in Nairobi on Tuesday.
Achila faced three counts of fraud, while Wangari faced four counts.
Both suspects denied the charges.
"The prosecution team did not oppose the accused persons being released on bond or bail," the statement said.
The state counsels, however, asked the court to consider the nature and magnitude of the alleged offences when determining the terms.
The prosecution further requested the court to require the accused persons to surrender their passports, obtain permission before travelling outside the jurisdiction and refrain from interfering with witnesses.
Chief Magistrate Harrison Barasa Omwima granted Achila a bond of Sh1.5 million with a surety of a similar amount, or cash bail of Sh650,000.
"Ms Wangari was similarly granted a Sh1.5 million bond with a surety of a similar amount, or cash bail of Sh700,000," ODPP added.
The matter will be mentioned on September 2, 2026.
The latest arraignment adds to a wider prosecution involving alleged financial irregularities under the PROFIT programme, which was established to support rural financial services and technologies.
Earlier, nine suspects were charged in connection with the alleged Sh1.57 billion fraud under the PROFIT programme, bringing the initial group prosecuted in the case to nine.
They included three National Treasury officials and six business proprietors or company directors.
The suspects faced a combined 121 counts, including abuse of office, unlawful acquisition of public property, financial misconduct, uttering false documents, acquisition of proceeds of crime and money laundering.
All nine suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution alleges that Sh1.569 billion was fraudulently disbursed from the National Treasury Development Account to private entities for goods and services that were not rendered.
On August 19, 2026, Milimani Magistrate Rose Ndombi released 11 accused persons who had appeared before the court on varying cash-bail terms ranging from Sh300,000 to Sh10 million.
The court ordered them to surrender their passports and barred them from leaving the jurisdiction without permission.
It also cautioned warrants of arrest against several suspects who had failed to appear for plea-taking.
The ODPP has said it remains committed to upholding the rule of law, safeguarding public resources, promoting integrity in public finance management and ensuring accountability where criminal conduct is established through investigations.
