Kenya charges 54 people in graft investigation, plans to probe banks

Journalists wait outside the Director of Criminal Investigation headquarters, following the arrest of the head of the National Youth Service Richard Ndubai along with an unspecified number of officials over corruption in Nairobi, Kenya May 28, 2018. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan authorities charged 54 people, mainly civil servants, on Monday in an investigation into the theft of nearly $100 million of public funds, a rare move to hold officials to account for graft in a nation where it is widespread.

Among the civil servants and businesspeople charged was the head of the National Youth Service, where the corruption allegedly took place, senior accountants at the government agency, and the chief internal auditor at the national treasury, chief prosecutor Noordin Mohamed Haji told a news conference.