Esther Wanjiru Chege has lost assets worth Sh. 100 million to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Esther who has been working as an officer of the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA), Kajiado County Office, is suspected to have acquired the assets through corruption. Her current net monthly salary is Sh. 116,640.
According to the EACC, the assets include millions of shillings and 13 parcels of land scattered in Kiambu, Nyandarua, Naivasha, Makueni and Kajiado.
These assets had been frozen by the High Court in Machakos on July 19, 2022, including some Sh. 3,295,271 that was in an Equity Bank account.
“EACC believes that the bank account is being used as a conduit for depositing and transferring proceeds of corruption at the Kenya Rural Roads Authority,” the commission said.
Between January 2016 and May 2022, Esther is said to have transacted Sh.26,359,921 through this bank account.
The EACC says that jointly with others, Esther siphoned public funds through companies registered through proxies and relatives. Her partner Robert Macharia Kimotho is said to be one of her accomplices.
“Together with her partner Robert Macharia Kimotho, they operate a school bank Account under the name St. Sharon Secondary School where money is sent from their company accounts to and before its transfer to their personal accounts and M-Pesa,” the EACC said.
A company by the name M/s Rokays Enterprise Limited registered by Wanjiru’s her spouse/partner Mr Robert Macharia Kimotho, who is a Director of St. Sharon Secondary School in Nyandarua, received over Sh. 5 million from KERRA.
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Another company, M/s Reswan Enterprises Limited, registered under James Chege Njoroge, a brother to Esther Wanjiru Chege, is said to have received about Sh. 20 million from KERRA.
Other companies where Esther is registered as bank account signatory and which have traded with KERRA and received payments include Kaydtech Enterprises Limited, Reswan Holdings Limited and Resro Holdings Limited.