By William Koome
The High Court in Machakos has allowed an application by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission seeking orders to freeze bank accounts belonging to an accountant working with the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA).
The agency has seized 13 title deeds with an estimated value of Sh100 million belonging to Esther Wanjiru Chege stationed at the Kajiado KeRRA office and which are suspected to have been fraudulently acquired.
The properties are spread in various towns including Nyandarua, Kiambu, Makueni, Naivasha and Kajiado.
The orders granted on July 19 will remain in place pending completion of ongoing probe over alleged conflict of interest, prowling of public funds and unexplained wealth.
EACC believes that the bank account is being used as a conduit for depositing and transferring proceeds of corruption at the Kenya Rural Roads Authority.
Ms Wanjiru, with net monthly salary of Sh116, 640, between January 2016 and May this year transacted a total credit of Sh26, 359, 921 and her salary account at Equity Bank, Ridgeways Branch in Kiambu had a balance of Sh3.2 million.
The officer is linked to several private companies which have dealings with KERRA and which are registered through proxies and relatives.
The companies include Rokays Enterprise Limited and Reswan Enterprise Limited registered by her spouse Robert Macharia and her brother James Chege which had received over Sh5 million and Sh20 million from KeRRA respectively.
Other companies operated by Ms Wanjiru as a signatory to bank accounts of said companies that have traded with and received payments from KERRA include Reswan Holdings Limited, Resro Holdings Limited and Kaydtech Enterprises Limited.
If found culpable, EACC says, the suspect will be arraigned and the corruptly acquired assets forfeited to the State.
