A Kenya Rural Roads Authority official whose accounts were frozen has moved to court seeking for release of Sh21 million he says he wants to pay as dowry.
Daniel Wambua through lawyer Danstan Omari says his accounts were frozen last week by the High Court and now wants the orders lifted so that he can proceed to pay for his wife-to-be.
"Unless this honourable court intervenes and hears the applicant on merit, there is a likelihood that his rights will be limited to his grave prejudice,” the application states.
Last week, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission got orders to freeze Wambua’s accounts including one that has Sh21 million, which he now claims was specifically for dowry payment.
Wambua claims that EACC erroneously tagged that account, which was opened specifically for dowry payments and his family and friends had contributed to that kitty.
According to court papers, the account was not a personal account but was registered as Daniel Wambua Dowry Payment and it was to run for a period of four months until the day of the function.
He has attached the bank opening form and also the Whatsapp group that was used to collect the funds for the dowry.
He said at least 800 people contributed towards the dowry that he says has since halted due to the money being frozen.
He says people are still sending money to that account as contributions towards his dowry payment.
"Wambua is required by tradition to fulfil his promise of dowry payment and is yet to do that due to EACC's false implication that the said account designated for dowry payment is a product of corruption," Omari says.
He further claims that he is well known in his community and that’s why he got that much money as contributions towards his dowry payment.
Wambua says the orders granted by the court made him halt the dowry ceremony without any justifiable reasons thereby causing embarrassment to his in-laws.
He has also dismissed the allegation by EACC that he earns Sh55,000 monthly salary. He produced his current payslip in court which states that he earns Sh170,000.
He says EACC should tell the court the interest they have in his marriage which led them to halt his ceremony without any justifiable reasons.
