Ex-Machakos CEC ordered to deport Sh80.2 million security in appeal case against EACC
Urbanus Wambua Musyoka was ordered to deposit the money into an interest-earning account to be jointly operated with EACC within 90 days
Former Machakos County Executive Committee Member (CEC) Urbanus Wambua Musyoka has been ordered to deposit Sh80, 251,815 as security pending hearing of an appeal against a decision allowing the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to seize Sh91,202,892 million in unexplained wealth from him.
In a ruling made last week, the former CEC has been ordered to deposit the amount into an interest-earning account to be jointly operated with EACC within ninety days even as the court of appeal will be making a ruling.
“The court hereby grants the application for a stay of execution on the condition that Musyoka deposit Kshs. 80,251,815.00 into an interest-earning account to be jointly operated with EACC within ninety days,” the court ruled.
The Appeal court ordered that failure to comply with the deposit requirement would result in the automatic lapse of the stay order, allowing the Commission to proceed with the execution of the judgment.
The former county official appealed in October after the Anti-Graft authority was granted orders by the court to seize his property, which they told the court he obtained unlawfully.
The Anti-corruption committee was granted the orders to seize the property worth Sh91,202,892 million.
In his ruling, Justice Patrick Okwaro Otieno directed the anti-graft body to recover all the assets that were unlawfully acquired by Musyoka during his tenure at the helm of the county.
Otieno found that the assets in question were acquired through corruption, conflict of interest, and fraudulent dealings.
The court also established that Musyoka had benefited from fraudulent tenders awarded to companies owned by his wife, Fiona Muthoki Mutisya, brother Antony Mbindyo Musyoka, and other close allies.
According to EACC, the companies were also evading taxes worth Sh181 million.
On October 14, 2021, the Commission asked Musyoka to explain the amounts received and transacted in his accounts by the companies associated with him and the construction cost of the development of the residential building.
On November 2, 2021, Musyoka issued his response to the EACC.
The assets in question are a residential Building valued at Sh80 million and Sh10 million transacted through Musyoka’s bank accounts in Co-operative and Equity Banks.
However, the commission says the team discovered that Musyoka had unexplained wealth liable to forfeiture to the State being proceeds of corruption.
