Court freezes Wamatangi accounts over Sh813m graft scandal

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi tours his demolished business premises along Douglas Wakihuri Road Nairobi on January 14,2025. [Benard Orwongo,Standard]

Kiambu Governor Paul Kimani Wamatangi, his wife, children, and 10 others have suffered a major blow after the High Court issued orders freezing their bank accounts over a Sh813 million graft scandal.

Justice Benjamin Musyoki ordered five accounts to remain frozen pending the hearing of a recovery suit by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on February 4, 2026.

 “That pending the hearing and determination of this application, this honorable court be pleased to grant an order of injunction prohibiting the respondents, their agents, servants or any other persons from withdrawing, transferring, disposing, wasting and/or in any other way dealing with funds in bank accounts," the judge ruled.

The frozen accounts include Family Bank accounts held in the names of King Group, King Realtors, King Construction, Quick Fix Auto Garage, and Lub Plus Oil & Energy Co. Ltd.

The order follows an application by EACC lawyer Ben Murei seeking fresh preservation orders to safeguard the assets of the governor, his family, and associates ahead of the substantive forfeiture suit hearing.

The EACC is seeking to recover Sh813 million allegedly siphoned through corrupt dealings involving Governor Wamatangi, his wife, children, and 10 others.

In the suit filed at the Anti-Corruption High Court, the Commission wants the millions of shillings currently frozen in five bank accounts belonging to the governor, his wife Anne Wanjiru Wamatangi, his children, and five companies associated with him to be forfeited to the state as they were acquired corruptly.

Through lawyer Murei, the Commission alleges that Wamatangi, while serving as Chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Roads, Transportation, and Housing, abused his position to influence the award of government tenders to companies linked to him.

The firms implicated include Lub Plus Oil & Energy Company Limited, King Group Company Limited, King Construction Company Limited, King Realtors Company Limited, and Quick Fix Auto Garage Limited, all allegedly used to receive irregular payments totaling over Sh813 million.

According to the EACC, the alleged misconduct occurred during the 2018–2019 and 2021–2022 financial years.

The agency claims that Wamatangi colluded with the companies to engage in fraudulent practices, including submitting forged or falsified bid documents to win tenders and falsely demonstrating technical capacity to execute the projects, thereby harming the public.

The Commission further alleges that Wamatangi’s wife, son, and daughter were used as proxies to conceal his beneficial ownership of the companies that received payments from KeNHA, KURA, and KeRRA.

Investigations reportedly revealed that he  remained a signatory to the companies’ bank accounts and continued to transact on them, making him the beneficial owner of the companies involved in the fraudulent dealings.

Other associates named in the suit include Francis Njoroge Njenga, Samuel Mwangi Kariuki, Eunice Wairimu Mugo, James Kiarie Njoroge, Anthony Muchoki, and John Kinyanjui, who are said to have acted as directors, signatories, or agents in the network of companies allegedly used to siphon public funds.

Court documents indicate that Quick Fix Auto Garage Ltd received Sh18,796,070, King Realtors Co. Ltd was paid Sh16,698,272, King Group Co. Ltd allegedly received Sh29,837,411, and King Construction Co. Ltd received Sh438,985,045, making it the largest single recipient of the allegedly misappropriated funds. Lub Plus Oil & Energy Co. Ltd reportedly received Sh308,788,733.

“These payments were irregular, unlawful and constitute proceeds of corruption,” the Commission stated in court papers.

The EACC also accuses Governor Wamatangi of abusing his position to improperly benefit from public contracts by influencing tender awards, engaging in conflict of interest, and holding private stakes in government projects.

Additionally, the suit alleges that Wamatangi and 13 others violated the Public Procurement and Disposal Act, 2015, through collusion, submission of multiple bids, and falsification of reference letters to secure tenders.

For instance, five companies reportedly submitted bids for the same KeRRA project, undermining fair competition.

The EACC argues that contracts awarded based on fraud and misrepresentation are illegal, null, and void, contending that the government cannot be certain it received value for money and that the defendants have been unjustly enriched at the public’s expense.

Through Murei, the Commission argues that no one should be allowed to benefit from their own illegal and wrongful acts.”

It further claims that the defendants, “jointly and severally, acted fraudulently, illegally and/or unlawfully, leading to the misappropriation of public funds totaling Sh813,145,532.40, hence the funds should be forfeited to the state.”