- Margaret Wanja Muthui, a former employee of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority, bought 11 houses in Kileleshwa in 2019.
- Justice Esther Maina yesterday also ordered Sh14 million held in Muthui's Cooperative Bank fixed deposit account be taken over by government.
Image: FILE
A former civil servant has been ordered to hand over to the state apartments worth over Sh265 million she acquired corruptly.
Margaret Wanja Muthui, a former employee of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority, bought 11 houses in Kileleshwa in 2019.
Justice Esther Maina yesterday also ordered Sh14 million held in Muthui's Cooperative Bank fixed deposit account be taken over by government via the Asset Recovery Agency.
Maina found that Muthui had illegally enriched herself and could not explain how she made the cash to buy the homes.
ARA filed the matter in court in 2021 against Esther Wagio Njunge, Margaret Wanja Muthui, Light House Trading Company Limited, Grace Nyambura Ndiritu, Mercy Wambui Nyambura and Cynthia Wanjiku Nyambura.
The agency dashed to court after being tipped off that the respondents had acquired cash and assets through a scheme they believed to be the proceeds of crime.
From the court records, Njunge is a director of Lighthouse Trading, Margaret at the time was deputy director, supply chain management at KeRRA. Grace is a green grocer at Githurai market and is said to be a sister to Ephantus Kimotho Kimani. Mercy was at the time a graduate of the Moi University, and a niece to Ephantus. Cynthia identifies as a sister to Mercy.
They are all direct relatives of Ephantus. They describe him variously as a brother to their mother, hence an uncle.
Judge Maina said evidence pointed to Muthui as the purchaser and developer of the properties who was also not able to explain the source of the funds she used to acquire them.
Her associates, she said, were used to launder the tainted money.
“These are gullible parties who would not ask any questions and the purpose of using them was to disguise the real owner of the properties," Maina said.
Also forfeited to the government is Sh75 million held in a fixed deposit account in the name of Njunge at the Cooperative Bank and Sh7 million held in Cooperative Bank in the name of Light House.
The judge further declared that House No3 Collingham Gardens registered in the name Light House, land in Ruaka in the name of Light House, a residential flat comprising of 24 apartments known as Taraji Residence erected on a land in Ruaka registered in the name of Light House and a parcel in Dagoretti, Riruta, purchased by Light House are all proceeds of crime.
"Any rental income, benefit, profit accruing from various properties are proceeds of crime and therefore liable for forfeiture to the government. These assets will be transferred to the Agency," the judge said.