- Ngirita says Muya vowed he would teach the family a lesson by maliciously instituting investigations
- Family member owes him Sh3 million from joint business venture
The Ngirita family has claimed a former lead investigator in the NYS scandal continues to harass them over a Sh3 million debt despite being removed from the case.
Julius Muia was the investigating officer in the criminal cases facing the Ngiritas and was removed after an affidavit detailed business transactions between the family and him.
In an affidavit filed in court, Phylis Ngirita said the police inspector was a business partner of their family and is owed Sh3 million by Jeremiah Ngirita.
Ngirita said because of that debt Muya vowed he would teach the family a lesson by maliciously instituting investigations that led to their arrest and prosecution.
Ngirita claims the police inspector was a long-time family friend with whom they partnered to supply goods and services. The partnership however went sour when they disagreed on payments.
“There has been open existence of bad blood between our family and the said police inspector which has culminated into the institution of malicious and false accusation leveled against our legitimate businesses. Despite his removal, the officer has been harassing our family to clear the debt which is owed by Jeremiah,” reads part of the court documents.
The court documents say police officers raided the Ngiritas' home in May and June last year and carried with them vital documents they had used to buy the goods they supplied to the National Youth Service.
“The investigations were conducted in bad faith and are malicious as they were premised on a family dispute between our family and the chief investigating officer Muya who was the lead investigator before being replaced at our behest by one Waweru from the Director of Criminal of Investigations,” she says.
Ngirita was responding to an application filed by the Assets Recovery Agency last month in which they seek to have five parcels of land and three motor vehicles forfeited to the state on grounds that they are proceeds of crime.
The properties associated with Phyllis Njeri, Jeremiah Gichini Ngirita and their mother Lucy Wambui Ngirita were frozen last year after the agency convinced Justice Hediwg Ong’udi that they suspected they were proceeds of crime.
She has now denied that the properties are proceeds of crime and asked court to dismiss the application.
The family claims that no tie has been established between the funds used to purchase the properties that ASA seeks to have forfeited and the money that ASA is claiming to have been acquired through corrupt means.
The family says they supplied goods to NYS in the period they were advanced the amount in question and the proceeds were entirely premised on a legitimate business enterprise.
“We are hardworking Kenyans who have supplied various government agencies with goods and services for over 20 years faithfully and diligently after successful application for government tenders. So we have a legitimate source of income which we have been engaged in as source of our livelihoods,” she says.
The case will be mentioned on June 3.