Court freezes Lands official’s properties in graft probe

The High Court has frozen assets, among them 106 parcels of land, 17 vehicles and cash, belonging to a senior official at the Ministry of Lands suspected to have been acquired corruptly. Justice Esther Maina allowed the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to preserve the properties belonging to Mr Fellix Mecha Nyakundi for six months.

The principal lands registrar, who is based in Thika, is being investigated over alleged embezzlement of public funds, abuse of office and unexplained wealth.

Also seized were a “significant number of ownership documents for land, motor vehicles and bank accounts”. The court was informed that EACC was apprehensive that the official might transfer, sell, or charge the parcels of land (use them as security for loans) and jeopardise the recovery process. “That it is, therefore, necessary to prohibit dealings with the above stated assets as the commission completes its investigations, to obviate a situation whereby the investigations and the intended recovery or restitution proceedings may be compounded of rendered nugatory altogether,” Mr Nyoike said.

The court heard that preliminary investigations had revealed that Mr Nyakundi has accumulated wealth that is not commensurate with his known legitimate sources of income. “We intend to analyse the documents seized in the conduct of the search and we are reasonably apprehensive that, with the above discovery and ongoing investigations, the said properties are at risk of being [interfered with],” the agency said. EACC said the intended recovery would take time and it was prudent to grant an order preserving the vehicles, properties and the money, to prevent the official from disposing of them.

Some of the properties targeted are in Kisii, Kilifi, Nairobi, Kajiado, Makueni and Machakos counties. But, speaking to Nation on phone yesterday, Mr Nyakundi appeared unbothered by the developments. “I have seen the news update while at home and what has transpired in court. I am still the Land Registrar of Thika because I have neither seen nor received any letter stopping me from executing my duties,” he said.

Mr Nyakundi has been working as a Land Registrar for the past 16 years and allegedly earns a monthly gross salary of Sh140,000. He has previously worked in Baringo, Nairobi, and Kirinyaga. He said he obtained most of his wealth from farming. However, he could not disclose the kind of farming he does and its annual turnover