Senior KETRACO manager in trouble as EACC freezes his KSh216M assets

The High Court has granted the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) orders to freeze assets worth KSh216,374,181.94 belonging to one Peter Maina Njehia, a Senior Manager at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO).

The commission had applied to have the assets frozen following allegations of unexplained wealth, unethical conduct, bribery and conflict of interest against the KETRACO official in a span of 11 years.

The senior manager is said to have received over KSh230 million more than his expected salary over the years.

"Investigations undertaken by the Commission established that between January 2010 and March 2021, which period Njehia was reasonably suspected of engaging in corruption, he acquired assets worth KSh278,049,625.39 against his known total legitimate income of KSh40,242,855.99 for the said period thereby resulting to assets disproportion of KSh237,806,769.4," EACC says in a statement.

Preliminary investigations by EACC indicate that Maina acquired most of the assets as kickbacks from companies working with KETRACO. 

"Investigations established that at the time of acquisition of these assets, Peter Maina Njehia had received funds individuals and institutions that had secured tenders with his employer (KETRACO)," EACC says.

In one instance, Maina's spouse is said to have received KSh3 million from Sieyuan Electric Company Limited a company awarded a tender by KETRACO.

Similarly, Maina received KSh400,000 and KSh85,000 respectively from Jooyato Surveys Limited and Jacob Oyato, a Director of Jooyato Surveys Limited at a time the said company had been awarded several contracts by KETRACO.

Investigations, EACC says, established that at the time of the acquisition of these assets, Peter Maina Njehia had received funds from individuals and institutions that had secured tenders with his employer (KETRACO).

EACC officers also found KSh1,020,000 in his car during a search exercise, money which he could not be reasonably ascertained.