The government has received more than Sh450 million of ill-gotten money that had been stashed in Jersey via a company affiliated to former Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) boss Samuel Gichuru.
The money had been confiscated by Jersey authorities following a nine-year investigation into how Mr Gichuru and former Finance Minister Chris Okemo stole and transferred the proceeds of crime to Windward Trading Ltd, a Jersey-registered company.
The investigation led to the successful conviction of the company for money laundering, facilitated by the two between 1999 and 2001.
Speaking at State House while witnessing the ceremonial handover of the repatriated money, President Uhuru Kenyatta said that although corruption has deep roots and keeps fighting back, the government will not relent on the resolve to fight it.
“Our war had been tempered, appreciating that corruption fights back and is willing to cause confusion and the deliberate disruption of set systems in order to protect itself,” President Kenyatta said.
British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Marriot, who witnessed the handing over ceremony, reiterated her country’s commitment to support the government in the recovery of illegally acquired assets stashed abroad.
“The Framework for the Return of Assets from Crime and Corruption signed on March 28 sends a clear signal to those who wish to steal from the state that they will ultimately not succeed. It provides a framework for future recovery of assets on international space,” she said.
At the same time, the President witnessed the handing over of 39 title deeds of property recovered by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) valued at Sh5.2 billion, which were handed back to the institutions that initially held them in trust for the public.
The properties include land worth Sh2 billion measuring about 69.2 hectares belonging to the Kenya Railways Corporation, and a Sh2-billion parcel of land belonging to the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation.
Others are three properties valued at Sh570 Million belonging to the Uasin Gishu County government, 14 properties valued at Sh64 million belonging to Kisii County government, a Sh30 million parcel of land belonging to Nakuru County, a Sh10 million parcel of land belonging to Kisumu County, three properties valued at Sh8 million belonging to Bomet County and a Sh8 million parcel of land registered in favour of Nakuru Muslim Association as trustees of a Muslim public primary school.
EACC Chief Executive Twalib Mbarak said 24 other parcels of lands valued at Sh6.1 billion have been recovered, with the registration of title deeds still pending.
“Notable amongst them is a 21.04-hectare prime land belonging to the Meteorological department located in Nairobi city’s Industrial Area, off Enterprise road, valued at Sh5 billion,” said Mr Mbarak.
The parcel had been earmarked for construction of affordable houses to benefit low income citizens in line with the Big four agenda.
Additionally, the commission is pursuing Sh14-billion worth of public assets through some 357 civil cases that have been filed in various courts across the country.
Mr Mbarak said the recovery of a further Sh7.6 billion from people who own assets disproportionate to their legitimate sources of income is ongoing in court.
In the past 10 years, the commission has recovered corruptly acquired assets in the form of cash, movable and immovable assets worth Sh23.2 billion. BY DAILY NATION