Court freezes Sh48m, properties belonging to KNH CEO Evanson Kamuri on suspicion of graft
Kenyatta National Hospital CEO Evanson Kamuri.
What you need to know:
- High Court judge Esther Maina allowed the application by the EACC to preserve the millions in eight bank accounts.
- Justice Maina also blocked Dr Kamuri from selling, charging, or transferring the six parcels of land in Nairobi, Kirinyaga and Kajiado, pending conclusions of investigations by the anti-graft body.
The High Court has frozen Sh48.5 million and six parcels of land belonging to the chief executive officer of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) Dr Evanson Njoroge Kamuri for six months, pending the conclusion of investigations by the anti-graft agency.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) stated that it suspects that the funds and the properties were acquired using proceeds of corruption linked to tenders at the country’s largest referral hospital.
High Court judge Esther Maina allowed the application by the EACC to preserve the millions in eight bank accounts.
Justice Maina also blocked Dr Kamuri from selling, charging, or transferring the six parcels of land in Nairobi, Kirinyaga and Kajiado, pending conclusions of investigations by the anti-graft body.
“I am satisfied that there are reasonable grounds to warrant this court to grant the preservation order sought. In the premises, the originating Motion is allowed and prayers 2,3,4 and 5 thereof granted as prayed,” said Justice Maina.
The judge directed the EACC to serve the application to Dr Kamuri within 14 days.
Last month, the EACC obtained orders blocking Dr Kamuri from withdrawing or transferring the money for 21 days, as they carried out the investigations.
“The Commission has reasonable suspicion to suspect that the respondent (Dr Kamuri) has accumulated assets which are not commensurate to his known source of income to a tune of Kshs800 million,” EACC said in an affidavit sworn by advocate Olga Ochola
The EACC said preliminary investigations revealed that Dr Kamuri, in his capacity as the CEO of KNH, engaged in abuse of office, conflict of interest and procurement irregularities in two tenders.
One of the tenders (Tender Nos MOH/ONT/CHERO/003/2021-2022) was for the supply, delivery, installation, testing and commission of a medical oxygen-generating plant, which was given to Biomax Africa Ltd.
A second tender was for the installation of an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system and supporting hardware components at KNH.
The court was informed that after obtaining warrants to investigate his bank accounts, offices, business and residential homes, they gathered evidence showing that he had acquired several properties, suspected to have been acquired through embezzled funds.
The plots are in Rukanga, Kirinyaga county, four parcels of land in Kitengela, Kaputiei North and Ngong in Kajiado county and a plot in Nairobi.
“The commission has reasonable suspicion that the accounts set out above were used to transact proceeds of corruption and economic crimes and is reasonably apprehensive that in light of the ongoing investigations, the respondent may in the intervening period withdraw, transfer, dispose of the money to defeat the course of justice,” the EACC said.
