The state has made a huge leap in the fight after corruption after recovering a Ksh48.5 million mansion in Lavington purchased with graft money.
The posh 5-bedroom apartment had been obtained with proceeds from Ksh 180 million stolen from the Youth Enterprise Development Fund (YEDF) in 2016.
A ruling by High Court judge Hedwig Ong’undi also allowed the Assets Recovery Agency (ARA) to recover Sh8.8 million held in an account belonging to businessman Ezekiel Owuor.
“An order of forfeiture is hereby issued against property known as Duplex apartment number C16 and Sh8.8 million to the Assets Recovery Agency,” the ruling delivered on Friday read.
The apartment belonged to businessman Mukuria Ngamau who used his company Quorandum Limited to obtain money from the youth fund.
The youth fund paid Quorandrum Sh180 million for information technology services which it did not provide.
Ngamau made several withdrawals from the funds and transferred the money to personal accounts of persons closely related to him, including his spouse Doreen Waithera Ng’ang’a and Tabitha Wanjiku Ngamau, his mother.
Most of the loot from the youth fund was used to purchase luxury homes, pay debts and line the pockets of powerful individuals, law firms and companies.
So far, the government has been unable to recover millions of shillings paid former YEDF chairman Bruce Odhiambo and foreign companies.
In August 2016, Odhiambo was arraigned in court alongside ex-YEDF boss Catherine Namuye with 12 counts of corruption in relation to the loss of Ksh 180 million.
