The Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission has now dismissed claims by KERRA employee Daniel Wambua that he raised over 21 M for paying his fiancée’s dowry.
In a response to Wambua’s application, EACC says he has not given sufficient evidence that the money was not acquired as a result of corrupt conduct.
“The attempt by Wambua to explain the source of the monies as belong dowry payment are general statements which are not convincing,” reads court papers.
EACC investigator Mathews Ong’ondo says unfreezing the accounts will defeat the investigations carried out by the commission on the investigations into offences constituting corruption and economic crimes.
They have also denied claims by Wambua that the dowry ceremony took place after the accounts were frozen saying the truth is the ceremony took place on August 5 days before the preservation orders were obtained on August 10.
“The applicants bank accounts were frozen five days after the dowry ceremony took place which is evident that the monies in the Bank account was never intended for dowry payment. The applicant’s explanation is an afterthought,” reads court papers.
Ong’ondo says Wambua is relying on copies of screenshots from Whatsapp groups but he is not explaining or showing the connection of this group to the funds in the bank.
The agency says the WhatsApp list and the handwritten list of persons produced by Wambua is not conclusive evidence that monies in the Bank Account was raised from them.
“He has not provided a breakdown of how and when these funds were banked into the listed bank accounts and there is no linkage shown between the list of contributors and the funds in the listed accounts,” Ong’ondo said.
On the issuing of Wambua being a farmer, the agency says that he has not provided evidence of the existence of the farm or tax returns from the business.
According the EACC, the photographs attached by Wambua showing the farm does not show where the photographs were taken and how much he made from the maize, beans, ndengu, kale and cattle.
In his case, Wambua wants the court to unfreeze his accounts saying the money that was frozen was from fundraising through his family and friends for his dowry.
