MAVOKO, Kenya Apr 14 – A man recently appointed to lead East African Portland Cement has been arraigned in court over alleged fraud involving forged documents.
Bruno Oguda Obodha appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Derrick Kuto in Mavoko, where he pleaded not guilty to six counts of forgery and uttering false documents with the intent to defraud, allegedly committed on diverse dates in 2024.
Obodha, who was appointed Managing Director of Portland Cement by President William Ruto in December 2024, spent the weekend in custody at Athi River Police Station after failing to appear in court for plea-taking last week.
His lawyer appealed for a lenient cash bail, but the magistrate, citing the seriousness of the charges, granted bond at Sh5 million with a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Sh2 million and one reliable contact person.
“The matter will be mentioned before the trial court on April 29, 2025, for further directions,” ruled Magistrate Kuto.
The complainant in the case is the East African Portland Cement Company, represented by its Acting Head of Supply Chain, Ms. Camilla Sienei.
Obodha is facing six counts related to the forgery and presentation of fraudulent documents, including a falsified Certificate of Membership for Brumec International Security Company Limited, purportedly issued by the Protective Security Industry Association.
In the second count, he is accused of presenting the same fake certificate to Ms. Sienei at the cement company on November 11, 2024.
Counts three and four allege that Obodha forged a Radio Communication Station License No. 2007534, falsely claiming it was issued by the Communications Authority of Kenya, and uttered the same to the complainant.
Counts five and six involve a forged Tender Guarantee document No. 20240022478, which Obodha allegedly made to appear as if it had been issued by Kingdom Bank and presented to the cement company.
The East African Portland Cement Company has been grappling with internal management challenges, with several disputes already before the courts.