Junior KeRRA staffer claims Ksh21M frozen by court was fiancée’s dowry
A junior employee of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) has moved to court seeking to overturn an order freezing Ksh21.2 million held in his bank account.
Daniel Munywoki Wambua, an accountant at KeRRA, had his account frozen last week following allegations by the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) that the money was illegally acquired.
However, in a petition filed through his lawyer Danstan Omari, Wambua told the court that the money was meant for his fiancée's dowry.
Wambua claims his bank accounts were incorrectly tagged by the EACC, saying the money was contributed by his family and friends.
He attached screenshots of a list of what each member contributed in the family's WhatsApp group.
“The amount in the Daniel Wambua Dowry Payment Account number 0840184059257 was specifically for the purpose of collecting funds from friends and well-wishes for the purposes of dowry payment for my intended marriage to my wife of choice," he told the court adding that the money was collected
He urged the court to lift the freeze orders to allow him to pay dowry for his wife-to-be even as he accused EACC of subjecting him to untold humiliation in front of his future in-laws.
“Unless this honorable court intervenes and hears the applicant on merit, there is a likelihood that the Applicant’s rights under Article 45, 50 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 will be limited to his grave prejudice," he added.
EACC had earlier indicated that the accused amassed the wealth in four months despite earning a monthly salary of Ksh55,000.
"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.
Wambua, however, dismissed the claims, saying he receives a monthly salary of Ksh170,000.
He attached copies of what he said was his recent payslip to corroborate his submissions.
