By Gregory Musyoki
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has obtained orders to freeze Sh88 million worth of assets fraudulently acquired by former Machakos County executive Urbanus Wambua Musyoka pending hearing and determination of a suit filed in May this year.
The May 12 suit is for recovery of Sh91, 202, 892 illegally acquired by the Agriculture, food security and Cooperative Development Executive when he was the county’s Tender Committee Chairperson.
He chaired the tender committee before becoming a county executive member.
Reports indicate that he traded with former Governor Alfred Mutua’s government through several companies owned or associated with him and which include Wafih International Limited, Wisdom Holdings Ltd, Wemmar Enterprise and Kikoto General Merchants.
The agency made the application before High Court following a probe into allegations of conflict of interest and unexplained wealth lodged against Mr Wambua.
EACC probe established that between 2013 and 2015, Mr Wambua (while Chair of the defunct tender committee) awarded tenders to four companies that he had interest in.
He was the sole mandatory signatory of the companies’ bank accounts that he used to do business with the devolved government.
Further, EACC revealed, Mr Wambua did not offer convincing reasons for the disproportion between his Sh91 million worth of assets and his known legitimate sources of income.
The assets are Sh10 million in cash and Sh80 million residential building on L.R. No Kibauni/ Kamutwa/168.
The Commission is in the ongoing matter seeking order compelling the office to pay the State Sh80, 251, 815 (cost of the building), Sh10 million together with interest and forfeiture of Sh8 million held in Mr Wambua’s Equity Bank account (that is part of the cash).
The matter will be mentioned on November 3, 2022.
