The assets of Eric Kipkurui Mutai, a cleaning supervisor at the State Department for Correctional Services, have been frozen by the high court after he was linked to the misappropriation of Sh257 million.
Mutai was ordered by Lady Justice Esther Maina to submit seven cars worth Sh32 million to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission for seizure.
The High Court judgement stated, “The freezing orders shall subsist for a period of six months to allow EACC complete investigations into the allegations of fraud and embezzlement of public funds, and to file a formal application for recovery of the public resources.”
A Sh17.5 million house in Nairobi, two Sh25 million plots of land in Nyaribari Chache, Kisii County, and another Sh17 million parcel of land in Kericho are among the frozen assets.
Companies
The anti-corruption office told the court that the cleaning supervisor, who was paid Sh20,800 per month, formed seven firms and used them to swindle taxpayers’ money under the guise of providing meals between 2012 and 2016.
Here’s a list of his companies:
- Facton Logistics Enterprises
- Nerimas General Agencies
- Trechis Services Limited
- White Unicorn Logistics
- Unique Suppliers
- Homex Logistics Enterprises
- Hygienic Ventures
According to the commission’s counsel Diana Kenduiwa, Mutai cooperated with numerous top prisons officers to have his enterprises take Sh257 million without supplying anything.
“His companies were the conduits for embezzling the Sh257 million through fictitious contracts for supply of food and ration to the State Department of Correctional Services when the goods were never supplied,” the lawyer stated in court.
“Mutai purported to have supplied food and ration to seven prison facilities in Nairobi, but our investigations established no such goods were ever supplied. We discovered that his companies were registered between 2016 and 2017 for the sole purpose of receiving the funds,” Dorothy Mnjala, a forensic investigator argued.
She alleged the guy took the money out of the bank quickly and used his proxies to buy houses all around the country.
Cars
According to reports Mutai own 7 cars valued at ksh32 million. They are registered as follows: KCH 360G, KCL 050T, KCH 593S, KCL 125R, KCN 475L, KCN 417B, KCL 778P.
Source of fund
Mutai’s recognized sources of income do not match his properties or net value, according to the prosecution.
The Supreme Court issued a historic decision in 2020 regarding the recovery of unexplained assets.
According to the Supreme Court, any asset owned by a public official that is not proportional to his legitimate source of income is deemed to have been obtained by corruption.
The lawsuit is set to be heard on October 25th.
