A KERRA official whose accounts were frozen now wants the court to release the 21 million shillings held, claiming that the money was intended for his fiancée’s dowry.
Daniel Wambua has petitioned the court to have the funds unfrozen so that he can pay dowry for his future wife.
Wambua claims, through his lawyer Danstan Omari, that EACC incorrectly tagged his account, which was set up specifically for dowry payments and to which his family and friends had contributed.
He claims that he is required by tradition to fulfil his dowry payment promise and has yet to do so despite the celebration because of the respondent’s false implication that the dowry payment account is a product of corruption.
“Unless this honorable court intervenes and hears the applicant on merit, there is a likelihood that the Applicant’s rights under Article 45, 50 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 will be limited to his grave prejudice,” he says
Wambua says that there are no reasonable grounds to suspect his assets, adding that he is able to defend how he acquired them legally.
“The amount in the Daniel Wambua Dowry Payment Account number 0840184059257 was specifically for the purpose of collecting funds from friends and well- wishes for the purposes of Dowry payment for my intended marriage to my wife of choice,” court papers read.
He also claims that he is well-known in his community, which is why he received that much money as a contribution towards his dowry payment.
He is also attached the Whatsapp group with the contribution lists, which show how much each person contributed to the wedding.
According to Wambua, the court’s orders forced him to stop the dowry ceremony without any justification, which embarrassed him in front of his future in-laws.
He has also refuted the EACC’s claim that he receives a monthly salary of 55,000 shillings by presenting his most recent payslip in court, which claims that he receives 170,000 shillings.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) obtained High Court orders last Thursday freezing over Ksh.21 million held in three bank accounts held by Wambua.
Wambua, a junior Accountant at the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), is said to have amassed a total of Ksh.21,189,125 in four months.
The commission is investigating allegations that Munywoki accumulated this wealth, which it says is way beyond his known legitimate sources of income, through corrupt dealings
