The High Court in Nairobi has granted freeze order sought by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (Eacc) targeting assets worth Sh216.4million belonging to Ketraco Supply Chain Manager Peter Maina Njehia allegedly acquired through illegitimate way.
High Court Judge Justice Esther Maina in her ruling dated Thursday, November 24, 2022 said the anti-graft body had raised valid reasons warranting the freezing of Njehia’s assets to allow probe into their acquisition
They include parcels of land valued at Sh88.9million, motor vehicles (Sh21.6 million), bank deposits (Sh76.4 million), money in M-Pesa wallet (Sh15.1 million), cash (Sh1 million), SACCO shares (73.9 million) and shares in FEP Holdings (Sh171,400) are among the items under investigation.
Njehia has been a long serving procurement boss at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (Ketraco) preceding the tenure of immediate former Ketraco Managing Director Fernades Barasa who is now the Kakamega governor.
Eacc said Njehia’s salary from known sources between January 2010 and March 2021, the period he is alleged to have improperly acquired the disputed wealth, was Sh35.8 million.
The anti-graft agency further said that the per diem that Njehia has legitimately pocketed over the said-period was Sh4.5 million.
According to Eacc, Njehia’s legitimately acquired wealth was Sh40.2 million, yet he had assets and cash totaling Sh278 million.
The anti-graft body now wants him to explain how he acquired the more than Sh216 million extra wealth.
Eacc suspects that Njehia might have engaged in corruption to get the disputed assets.
The freeze order remains in place until EACC’s case against Njehia is heard and determined, Justice Esther Maina of the Anti-Corruption Court in Milimani, Nairobi directed.
