Government officials are often on the spot for a myriad of controversies surrounding their lifestyles. This often leads to a crackdown launched by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) and ultimately leads to protracted legal battles in the corridors of justice.
However, if substantial evidence is presented in court, the government is given the green light to confiscate a number of assets belonging to the official.
Kenyans.co.ke takes a look at a number of officials who have in the past lost properties worth millions to the State.
Patrick Ochieno
Patricka Ochieno, a former chief accountant at the Ministry of Finance (now Treasury) between 2003 and 2007, received a huge blow after his property worth millions was confiscated.
Among the items seized were four apartments, millions of shillings stashed in bank accounts, five high-end cars, a residential home, nine parcels of land and four apartments in Nairobi.
According to the court ruling, Ochieno could not explain how he acquired his wealth with a monthly salary of Ksh54,000. He was accused of receiving a portion of the Ksh70 billion tenders in the Anglo-leasing scandal.
Court documents revealed that by 2008, the former minister had more than Ksh80 million reportedly registered in his kin's names.
Ministry of Interior Staff
Senior staff at the Ministry of Interior under CS Fred Matiang'i's helm, lost Ksh200 million property to the government. This is after the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) launched a crackdown that saw the staff forfeit the assets which were dubbed as proceeds of crime.
EACC chairman Bishop Eliud Wabukala pointed out that after conducting investigations, they managed to trace and recover cash, public assets as well as personal investments that he claimed were illegally acquired.
The crackdown was later on extended to civil servants at the National Lands Commission (NLC).
Kembi Gitura
Former Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (Kemsa) board chairperson, Kembi Gitura, was also on the spot after he lost his prime property along the Nairobi Southern Bypass.
According to a ruling delivered on October 6, 2021, the judge established that Gitura had encroached onto public land that it was reserved for the development of the Embakasi - Kibera Railway line and Nairobi Southern Bypass.
The former Kemsa boss, however, had claimed that he had the legal documents for the disputed land. The judge however noted that Gitura had been issued with a notice prior to his title deed been revoked.
Jakoyo Midiwo
The late Jakoyo Midiwo also had run ins with the law after he lost his mansion in Kisumu County due to Ksh876,000 rent arrears. The county government had issued him with notices, threatening to evict him if he did not settle the debt.
The late Midiwo, at the time, defended himself noting that he did not owe the county any money. He argued that he had not lived in the house for a long period to warrant the rent arrears.
He had also stated that the notice served to him was based on repairs to be done within the house and not of arrears as alleged by the county government.
