Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) are trying to unravel the puzzle of how Migori governor Okoth Obado built a Ksh100 million palatial home without paying a single coin to the contractor.
According to EACC, the said Obado's rural home was built by Mbingo Enterprises, one of the dubious firms owned by Obado’s accomplices.
"The investigation team has also verified that the governor Migori county, Zacharia Okoth Obado, has a newly built palatial home estimated to be worth more than Ksh100 million located at Uriri," the anti-graft agency told the court.
Besides, detectives claim that Obado has accumulated vast wealth beyond his legitimate sources of income.
In August, 11 Migori county officials were charged with the irregular purchase of over Ksh20M furniture for Migori Governor’s house.
The accused had flouted procurement procedures when they were purchasing furniture to the governors residence by awarding the tender to an unmerited company.
Shortly after Obado's arrest over the murder of Rongo University student Sharon Belyne Otieno, media reports revealed that the governor and his associates registered about 30 companies and used them to pocket Ksh2.5 billion in "fictitious contracts".
In their preliminary probe, EACC sleuths had established that Obado and his wife, Hellen Odie, hold numerous bank accounts.
Some of the suspect’s accounts have been since frozen by the EACC.
The EACC further indicated that they have taken all the suspects seeking an explanation to the source of their massive wealth.
For instance, Mbingo director Ernest Omondi was paid more than Ksh700 million in questionable contracts by the county.
In another murky deal, Jared Odoyo Oluoch, an alleged proxy to Obado, pocketed Ksh1.6 million in unclear circumstances.
