Former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero woes seem to deepening as the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) made a move to have him pay back Ksh68 million that was lost during his tenure.
The Daily Nation on Thursday, September 19, reported that the EACC in a letter dated September 12, gave Kidero and his accomplices 14 days to pay up the money or be auctioned.
The amount in question was as a result of legal fees paid to the Wachira Mburu, Mwangi and Company Advocates for a case that was eventually withdrawn.
The withdrawal of the suit is claimed to have cost the county Ksh68 million in terms of legal fees, the amount that the EACC wants refunded by the former governor and his co-accused.
“The defendant conspired to carry out a fraudulent scheme through the filing of a fictitious suit by a non-existent plaintiff, who subsequently withdrew the purported suit causing the alleged claim and payment of legal fees of Sh68 million," EACC alleged.
Kidero, in his defense, argued that the genesis of the allegations was in 2011, within the defunct City Council of Nairobi, and decisions made to pay the said monies were made long before he became the city’s first governor.
“There’s no contention that the amount of Ksh.68 million alleged to have been defrauded from Nairobi City County was part of the outstanding legal fees due and owing to Wachira Mburu & Company Advocates for legal services rendered,” argued Kidero.
However, EACC spokesperson Yassin Amaro asserted that Kidero is to pay because the payment in question was irregularly made during his tenure.
The prosecution further alleged that Kidero conspired with his co-accused to acquire millions of shillings as kickbacks from deceased lawyer Steven Kariuki.
“On January 8, 2014, you unlawfully acquired Sh14.4 million from Steven Kariuki while knowing it was public property. You also engaged in money laundering by acquiring a Toyota Lexus valued at Sh14 million while knowing the money was part of proceeds of crime,” read charges from April 2019.
The EACC insisted that even after paying back, he would still face trial over the case.
