Commentaries

Now bank exonerates Anyona

Court told former MP was not signatory to the women's accountA bank yesterday absolved former Kitutu Masaba MP George Anyona from the controversial withdrawal of Sh2.3 million from a women group’s account. The controversy has delayed Mr Anyona's burial for three months.

The bank stated Mr Anyona never withdrew any amount since he was not a signatory to the Chabumba women’s account. Bank lawyer Arnold Ojiambo said: "Mr Anyona never signed any papers and as far as we are concerned, he never withdrew any amount from the account." Mr Ojiambo was giving his submissions in a case in which officials of Chabumba women's group have enjoined the Kisii branch of National Bank of Kenya, demanding withdrawal details of the funds raised and banked in June 1997.

The officials, led by chairperson Callen Onkoba and treasurer Yunuke Bosire, say despite taking the money to the bank, where Mr Anyona introduced them to the management, they never withdrew it. They realised years later that their money was missing and the account had been closed. The late Anyona’s brother, Mr Stephenson Mageto, went to court and blocked Anyona’s burial, saying the women group members had threatened to burn Anyona’s casket if he was buried before the funds were accounted for.

Yesterday, the bank insisted that it was wrongly enjoined in the suit. Principal magistrate Samuel Soita was urged to dismiss the enjoining, with Mr Ojiambo arguing the right people to have been sued were the initial signatories whom the bank recognised.

He said all transactions were conducted between the bank and the signatories led by Mrs Milka Gisairo. The bank, however, admitted receiving an advisory letter from Mr Anyona informing them of change of signatories. "But many years later, the signatories were never changed, Mr Ojiambo said. Mrs Onkoba and her new officials banked the contentious funds in the same account that had been operational for many years, but failed to avail some documents to facilitate change of signatories.

The account was closed in 2000 with the last withdrawals having been done the same year. The court was told the bank was trying to run away from the matter, yet all Mr Mageto and the women's group wanted were details on who and when the funds were withdrawn. The court will rule on the bank’s application on February 25