A husband and wife, alongside a third accomplice, have been charged in court over a sophisticated fraud scheme that led to the loss of Sh22,151,983 from the National Oil Corporation of Kenya.
The three were arraigned by detectives from the Investigations Bureau (IB) attached to the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum following a complaint lodged by the state-owned oil firm over the theft and misappropriation of its funds.
Investigations established that the fraud was masterminded by Gladys Kahaki Njubi, a former Assistant Accountant at the National Oil Corporation. Detectives revealed that Njubi colluded with her husband, Griffin Nyakang’o Omwenga, and a third suspect, Nehemia Onyunge Kibegwa, to siphon millions of shillings from the corporation before resigning from her position.
Further findings showed that Griffin had registered five companies—Zoccom Enterprises Limited, Eceny Ventures Limited, Earthcare Supplier Services, Sparktec Ventures Limited, and Jaffer Petrofill Africa Limited. Despite the companies neither bidding for any tenders nor offering services to the National Oil Corporation, they were paid close to Sh22 million for services that were never rendered.
At the time, Gladys worked as an assistant accounts payable officer, a role that allowed her to process payments. Investigators say she used authentic documents belonging to legitimate suppliers contracted by the corporation to disguise payments made to her husband’s companies, effectively concealing the fraudulent transactions from approving officers.
The third suspect, Nehemia Onyunge Kibegwa, a director at Kensons Constructions Limited, is also accused of benefiting from the scheme after receiving millions of shillings despite having no contractual engagement or tendering history with the National Oil Corporation.
Upon conclusion of the investigations, the case file was submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). After reviewing the evidence, the ODPP approved multiple charges against the suspects, including conspiracy to defraud, theft by servant, forgery, and possession of proceeds of crime.
The trio was arrested on January 28, 2026, and detained at Akila Police Station before being presented at the Kibera Law Courts, where they pleaded not guilty. The court remanded them in custody pending a bond ruling scheduled for February 4, 2026.
The case underscores the government’s continued efforts to combat corruption, enforce accountability, and safeguard public resources by ensuring all those involved in economic crimes are held to account.
