By Ongaga Ongaga
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has secured court orders for the forfeiture of assets worth Sh207.7 million to the government.
This follows a case involving a former accountant at the Ministry of Public Health and Sanitation and the Trans Nzoia County Government.
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In a judgment delivered on recently, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Court found that Andrew Biketi Musuya had failed to satisfactorily explain the disproportion between the assets he acquired and his known legitimate sources of income.
The court, presided over by Justice Rose Ougo, ordered the forfeiture of assets worth Sh207,741,928 to the State.
The assets include two five-storey apartment blocks in Mtwapa, Mombasa County, a five-bedroom townhouse in the same area, and seven undeveloped parcels of land in Mombasa and Bungoma counties. The properties are valued at Sh150.2 million.
Also included are bank and M-Pesa deposits totalling Sh53.5 million and two motor vehicles valued at Sh4 million.
According to the EACC, investigations established that Musuya accumulated assets worth Sh289.9 million between January 1, 2013, and October 31, 2018.
The assets comprised bank and M-Pesa deposits amounting to Sh53.5 million, landed properties valued at Sh226.8 million and motor vehicles worth Sh9.6 million.
“The Commission instituted proceedings under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act to recover assets deemed disproportionate to his known legitimate sources of income,” the EACC said in a statement.
The commission said it had sought to recover assets worth Sh284.1 million that Musuya could not satisfactorily explain.
However, the court found that he had failed to account for Sh207.7 million and ordered that the amount be forfeited to the government.
The forfeiture proceedings were brought under Section 55 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, which provides a legal framework for recovering unexplained assets in corruption-related cases.
The EACC said it remained committed to protecting public property and ensuring that public resources were preserved for the benefit of Kenyans.
The statement was signed by Stephen K. Karuga, the commission’s head of corporate affairs and communication.
