An accountant employed at the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) is currently under the scrutiny of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for reportedly accumulating millions of shillings within a mere four-month period.
The government official in question, Daniel Munywoki Wambua, who has a monthly net salary of Sh55,607, is alleged to have made deposits exceeding Sh21 million into an Equity Bank account, all without disclosing the source of the funds.
Wambua’s sudden wealth prompted EACC to initiate legal action in the High Court to secure an order freezing his accounts on suspicions that he might be diverting public funds from KeRRA.
“Preliminary investigation has established that he opened the account on March 15, 2023 and within a period of four months received Sh21,189,125 which we suspect are proceeds of corruption and not from his legitimate income,” said EACC.
The anti-graft body, through lawyer Culent Simiyu, alleged that, in an attempt to obscure the origin of the funds, Wambua opened another account at Equity Bank on June 16 and transferred Sh5 million on that very day.
Furthermore, a third account at the same bank received deposits totaling Sh1.7 million over the span of April to June.
“We believe that due to his corrupt conduct, Wambua has acquired and accumulated illicit wealth which ought to be preserved to enable the commission to establish the veracity of whether the assets are disproportionate to his known source of income which is Sh55,607 per month,” said Simiyu.
EACC states that the sums deposited into Wambua’s accounts greatly surpass his annual earnings.
According to the commission, Wambua and individuals believed to be acting as his proxies were responsible for these direct deposits. Simiyu further claimed that these proxies were allegedly collecting bribes from road contractors on his behalf.
“There is a likelihood of the suspect withdrawing and wasting away the money unless the court intervenes and stops him and his associates from dealing with the money in any manner,” said Simiyu.
Meanwhile, Mathew Ong’ondo, the lead investigator from EACC, says Wambua has been unable to account for the source of his wealth.
He said they believe that the public servant might have enlisted the names of associates to register other acquired properties, thereby masking his identity as the true owner.
Ong’ondo said the ongoing investigations are in their preliminary stages, aiming to determine whether the KeRRA official bears culpability warranting court charges.
The EACC is also considering the possibility of initiating legal proceedings to seize and return the assets to the government.
“An analysis of his bank details showed that he repeatedly deposited amounts below the threshold of Sh1 million, some in person while others were deposited by one James Kivuva who is believed to be his associate,” said Ong’ondo.
