Court Orders CEO Charles Ringera To Pay Back Ksh.491K To HELB

The CEO of the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB), Charles Ringera, has been hit with a hefty blow by a Nairobi court. The court recently mandated that he reimburse Ksh.491,852 to the state agency, following a ruling by High Court Judge Esther Maina on February 9. The ruling granted the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) the power to hold senior public officials accountable for the loss of public funds that are registered across various government agencies.

This decision came as a petition filed by Ringera was challenged by the EACC, which held him personally liable for the loss of the aforementioned amount. According to the EACC, Ringera misused his position in 2019 when he directed HELB's Chief Finance Officer, Shem Gichimu, to increase the salary of Chief Operations Officer (COO) Geoffrey Monari without the necessary approval from the HELB Board.

The EACC also found that Monari had cumulatively drawn the cash irregularly awarded to him by the CEO after he exited HELB. After concluding investigations into the incident, the EACC determined that Ringera's conduct of awarding incremental credits to Monari amounted to an abuse of office and a breach of public trust.

Thus, the EACC ordered that Ringera be surcharged and ordered to repay the sum to HELB. However, Ringera filed an appeal in the High Court seeking to quash the decision by the EACC, arguing that the EACC lacked the power to make such a ruling.

The High Court, in its decision, held that the EACC was within the law, which gives it the authority to institute and conduct civil proceedings for the purposes of recovering public property or confiscating the proceeds of corruption. Maina further ruled that the Leadership and Integrity Act of 2012 mandates the Commission to oversee and enforce good governance among State officers, including prudent use of public resources.