A former Garissa Deputy County Commissioner Dominic Kyenza and a stores clerk Abdullahi Ahmed were on Monday morning charged in a Garissa court with stealing relief food meant for vulnerable people.

The two were accused of deceitfully acquiring and fraudulently disposing public property contrary to section 41[1] of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003.

“Between 12th and 13th day of November 2014, at Garissa Township within Garissa, being the Garissa deputy county commissioner and the district clerk in charge of stores respectively, (they) fraudulently acquired 270 bags of rice of relief food by pretending that the said relief food was intended for Umulkheir Children Centre,” the charge sheet read.

Through their lawyers, the accused requested to be be granted cash bail saying they were complying with the court orders of appearing in court any time they were requested to do so.

Mr Kyenza’s lawyer further said that his client was a not a flight risk and that he had not been involved in any criminal activities in the past.

The lawyer representing Mr Ahmed on his part said that his client was a local and would not escape from court proceedings.

Chief magistrate Marry Wachira granted the two accused a cash bail of 50,000 each with the option of a Sh100,000 bond with the same surety.

The case against the two which was to be heard last Friday could not go on because there was no gazetted magistrate to hear it.