Samburu Governor Moses Lenolkulal's bank accounts have been frozen following a court order obtained by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
According to a report by Standard, Governor Lenolkulal is said to have bought two parcels of land in Karen at Sh30 million, money believed to be part of Sh1.6 billion lost by Samburu County.
In one of the two Court Orders issued, the governor was stopped from withdrawing money from any of his five accounts at the Kenya Commercial Bank.
EACC also obtained orders stopping the Governor from transferring four prime properties he owns in Nairobi.
EACC accused Governor Lenolkulal of conspiring with other county officials to siphon the money by inflating costs and falsifying procurement contracts, which led to the loss of the Sh1.6 billion between 2013 and 2018.
According to EACC lawyer Rosslyne Murugi, the Governor is suspected to have incorporated a service station which he used to steal public funds through a contract to supply diesel and petrol to the county.
“Preliminary investigations have revealed that Lenolkulal, through his company, received from the county government in excess of Sh80.7 million between 2013 and 2018. That was clear conflict of interest and a way to siphon public funds,” said Ms. Murugi.
The Samburu Governor’s employees are also believed to have pocketed Sh673 million from tenders awarded to companies they own.
EACC further mentioned that senior officials in the county received bribes to the tune of Sh86 million from contractors and suppliers to influence the award of tenders in their favor.
Home raided
This comes a few days after EACC detectives raided the Governor’s homes in Nairobi and Samburu.
The detectives are also raided the residences and offices of top officials implicated in the scandal.