A clearing agent has been sentenced to serve two years in prison or a fine of Ksh3 million for soliciting a bribe of Ksh2.9 million from church officials.
In a statement on Friday, April 4, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) confirmed that Philip Mutua Kilonzo was convicted on two counts of requesting a bribe and one count of obtaining money by false pretenses.
"Kilonzo was sentenced to pay a fine of Ksh1.5 million or serve two years in prison for demanding a Ksh2.9 million bribe from officials of the United African Evangelical Ministry and Grace Children’s Home on October 4, 2020," the statement said.
According to the ODPP, the court found that Kilonzo had attempted to influence the writing off of alleged taxes owed to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) in exchange for the bribe.
"His intent was to reportedly influence the writing off of alleged taxes due to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA)," the statement continued.
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On the other hand, Kilonzo was fined an additional Ksh1.5 million for soliciting the same bribe amount multiple times between October 3 and October 8, 2020.
Additionally, the court imposed a fine of Ksh50,000 on Kilonzo or an eight-month prison sentence for obtaining Ksh20,000 under false pretenses.
"The court heard that On October 1, 2020, he misled officials from the United African Evangelical Ministry into giving him Ksh. 20,000, claiming it was for travel expenses from Busia to Nairobi. This was allegedly for a meeting with KRA officials to resolve a tax dispute between KRA and Grace Children's Home," the statement added.
In her ruling, Principal Magistrate Celesa Okore directed that Kilonzo would serve all sentences concurrently.
