KeRRA staffer who claims Ksh.21M frozen by EACC was for dowry payment to know fate next week

High Court Judge Nixon Sifuna has directed that an application filed by a KeRRA official whose accounts were frozen be heard next week on Wednesday.

The matter came up for mention on Thursday when the officer – Daniel Wambua - through his lawyer Danstan Omari told the court that he is unable to pay dowry and would like his application heard urgently.

"My Lord, my client can't pay dowry, the lady he was to marry is still waiting," Omari submitted in court.

In the application, Wambua wants the court to release Ksh.21 million held in three bank accounts that was frozen after the High Court granted orders to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

The junior KeRRA accountant claimed the money was intended for his fiancée's dowry, and that even his friends and family had contributed to it.

He claimed that he is required by tradition to fulfil his dowry payment promise and has yet to do so despite the celebration because of what he termed as EACC’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," lawyer Omari told the court in August.

Wambua said there are no reasonable grounds to suspect his assets, adding that he is able to defend how he acquired them legally.

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 further refuted EACC's claim that he receives a monthly salary of Ksh.55,000 by presenting his payslip in court, which stated that he receives Ksh.170,000.