KETRACO manager risks losing Ksh.140M, 40 apartments, over 8 luxury cars

A senior manager at the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company (KETRACO) is under investigation by the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) over the acquisition of property worth hundreds of millions of shillings suspected to have been fraudulently acquired.

According to documents seen by Citizen Digital, Peter Maina Njehia, a Supply Chain Manager at KETRACO, obtained over 40 apartments in Nairobi, Nakuru and Nyandarua Counties and over eight motor vehicles over a period of 11 years between February 2010 and March 2021.

Njehia is further said to have accumulated more than Ksh.76 million in his bank accounts and over Ksh.64 million held in share deposits in Unaitas and Stima SACCOs.

The anti-graft body says preliminary investigations established that Njehia “in collusion with close associates and companies associated to him has engaged in corrupt conduct by knowingly acquiring interests in contracts emanating from and connected with KETRACO.”

“The Respondent (Njehia) has illegally and irregularly engaged in the influence and award of tenders, procurement and payment for goods and services which has seen him abuse his office, receive bribes, embezzle public funds and engage in corrupt conduct,” reads the documents filed in court.

According to EACC, Njehia amassed the exorbitant wealth over an 11-year period, yet within the same period, he earned a net salary of Ksh.35.7 million which would translate to a monthly net pay of approximately Ksh.265,000.

“The Respondent has in the period between February 2010 and March 2021 earned a net salary of Kshs. 35,764,757.92 and a total of Kshs. 4,478,098.07 in his imprest account for the same period of employment… It is suspected that the proceeds of corruption have been channelled into the SACCO accounts listed herein,” reads the documents.

On Tuesday, November 30, 2021, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission obtained court orders freezing the assets owned by Njehia as investigations into the matter continue.

“That the orders do subsist for a period of six (6) months,” ruled the court.

EACC told the court that the investigations would take time, hence the need to freeze the assets pending completion of the probe.

The frozen funds held in various SACCOs under the name of Njehia and that of his wife include:

Ksh 13,557,385.00 being held as share capital in Stima Sacco Society Limited in the name of Peter Maina Njehia.

Ksh. 11,913,750.94 being held as Alpha deposit in Stima Sacco Limited in the name of Peter Maina Njehia.

Ksh. 10,000,010.00 held in the shares in Unaitas Sacco Limited in the name of Peter Maina Njehia.

Ksh. 8,200,010.00 held in the shares account old system in Unaitas Sacco Mununga in the name of Peter Maina Njehia.

Ksh. 7,000,000.00 held in the shares account old system held in Unaitas Sacco Limited in the name of Julie Hellen Matu.

Ksh. 7,000,000.00 held in the shares account new system held in Unaitas Sacco Limited in the name of Julie Hellen Matu.

Ksh. 930,760.00 held in the dividend account new system held in Unaitas Sacco Limited in the name of Julie Hellen Matu.