A traffic base commander is staring at huge losses after the High Court ordered him to relinquish his assets valued at over Ksh30 million to the state pending investigation by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
According to court documents, Justice Njoki Mwangi ruled that the officer had failed to provide proof of his source of wealth, including chunks of land and vehicles.
Part of the properties he was ordered to forfeit include Ksh10.5 million held in four bank accounts, seven parcels of land valued at Ksh19.4 million, five vehicles and one motorcycle.
The seven parcels of land are based in Malindi, Kwale and Mananja. Justice Mwangi put to task the officer to explain how he acquired the wealth despite earning a net salary of Ksh20,000 per month.
"It is my finding that the officer did not offer any explanation as to why deposits amounting to Ksh10,536,199 were made to his various bank accounts, excluding his salary account."
“The properties of the subject of this suit, as well as the deposits in his bank accounts, raise questions with respect to their sources. I am satisfied, on the evidence placed before me by EACC, that the officer has unexplained assets," the Judge ruled.
The officer defended his wealth, claiming that he was in employment for over two decades and was an active member of the police Sacco. He added that he had engaged in multiple side hustles to supplement his income.
Further, the traffic boss denied owning pieces of land in either Kwale or Malindi but admitted to acquiring plots in Ndithini/Mananja.
Alluding to this, he noted that they were acquired through installments and loans.
The officer, however, was unable to provide the title deeds of the tracts of land, claiming that he could not trace the documents.
Court documents also revealed that the officer received bribes from road users at the coast leveraging his seniority.
Justice Mwangi ordered the officer to forfeit the assets within 30 days.
