Court freezes KeRRA official’s Sh1b assets
A senior official at the Kenya Rural Roads Agency (KeRRA), Benson Muteti Musila and his wife have suffered a major blow after the anti-corruption court yesterday froze their assets amounting to Sh1 billion.
In a ruling delivered by Justice Esther Maina, Muteti and his spouse Zipporah Mwongeli were barred from selling, transferring, sub-dividing or interfering with funds and prime properties in question.
“I find the application merited and l hereby order the respondents not to interfere, sell or dispose in any way the assets listed herein, pending the hearing and determination of the main application,” Justice Maina ruled.
The judge ordered the preservation of the assets including millions of shillings stashed in 22 bank accounts, 27 properties, shares in multiple companies and schools, pending the hearing and determination of the forfeiture application by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
The orders came after the commission sought to have the couple compelled, to forfeit to the State Sh952 million unexplained assets acquired between February 2009 and December 2018 by Muteti, his wife and five others.
Bribes and kickbacks
The wealth include Sh567 million in bank and Mpesa deposits, Sh347 million land properties, Sh5.3 million in motor vehicles, Sh2.2 million in listed shares and insurance policies with a maturity value of Sh30 million.
While seeking to have the preservation orders granted, EACC claimed it received credible information that Muteti routinely demanded and received bribes and kickbacks from contractors awarded tenders, for the supply of public works, goods and services in the Coast region.
The EACC said multiple deposits were made into Muteti’s 19 KCB bank accounts and an account each at Cooperative Bank, NBK and Absa Bank, between February 2009 and December 2018.
Other than the money in four banks, EACC has applied to seize 27 properties, shares in multiple companies and schools linked to Muteti, his spouse Mwongeli and their companies, saying they are part of unexplained wealth worth Sh 952.3 million.
EACC says Muteti took undue advantage of his position of trust to confer benefit to himself through awarding several tenders to Skai Kenya Limited; a company associated with him through his brother.
Through his lawyer Migos Ogamba, Muteti had opposed the application saying that other than his salary at KeRRA; where he was the Coast regional manager, he had other sources of income.
“There is no complaint of corruption against him. What is the justification for EACC to freeze and seek to recover property acquired before the period under probe,” he argued.
The case will be heard on March 1.
