The High Court has frozen Ksh21.2 million belonging to a junior official at Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) over allegations that the money was acquired illegally.
The court granted the preservation orders following a case filed by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) questioning Daniel Munywoki Wambua's source of wealth.
According to EACC, Wambua, who works at KeRRA as an accountant, amassed the millions in question in four months despite earning a monthly salary of Ksh55,607.
"Wambua is reasonably suspected to have acquired and accumulated illicit wealth way beyond his known legitimate sources of income through embezzlement of public funds, conflict of interest, bribery, and abuse of office," EACC said.
EACC moved to court to ensure the money is not dissipated, transferred, or withdrawn pending determination of the suit seeking forfeiture of the money to the state.
"The Commission’s strategy for recovery of unexplained wealth or corruptly acquired assets is aimed at extinguishing the motivation for corrupt conduct and ensuring that the corrupt are not allowed to enjoy their loot," EACC added.
EACC recoveries
According to EACC, the anti-graft body has recovered and returned to the public stolen assets worth Ksh 23.84 billion in the last five years.
The commission also averted a loss of Ksh34.5 billion in public funds through disruption of corruption networks and ongoing transactions in the same period.
"Currently, recovery cases for assets worth over Ksh42 billion are going on in various courts across the country," EACC added.
Some of the recovered public assets include a public land measuring 56 acres belonging to Meteorological Department located at Industrial Area Nairobi and valued at Ksh5.2 billion which is currently being used for the affordable housing project; Naivasha KALRO Land measuring 227.9 hectares worth Ksh800 million; and High Court land where Kisumu Law Courts stands valued at Ksh1 billion.
Other properties include six parcels of land located in Eldoret belonging to the County Government of Uasin Gishu and the National Police Service valued at Ksh1.93 billion and public land in Mombasa where Hobley Estate in Buxton area stands valued at Ksh398 million.
In May, EACC recovered a Ksh52 million house in Nyali, Mombasa, a property of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).
Justice Nelly Matheka of the Mombasa Environment and Land Court ruled that the property was illegally and fraudulently transferred to Luka Kimutai and his wife Sally Cheptoo.
