Moi Era Men Face Multi-Billion Shilling Asset Seizure

Moi Era Men Face Multi-Billion Shilling Asset Seizure

Moi-era men named in the Kroll Report face asset seizure after a lawmaker petitioned the National Assembly to make the report public and recover assets from those alleged to have looted taxpayers’ money.

Mukurweini MP Kabando wa Kabando is seeking to compel the government to seize the more than £1 billion (Sh142 billion) looted from taxpayers and stashed in offshore bank accounts and prime real estate overseas, according to a forensic study by Kroll Associates.

The lawmaker, in a letter to the Speaker, says the report shows systematic looting of public resources and hidden in more than 40 tax havens around the world by way of cash in banks, land, ranches, and shares in blue-chip multinationals.

“On several occasions in 2013 and 2014, I requested statements … on the status of the Kroll report regarding accumulated illicit capital flight from Kenya,” said Kabando in the letter dated March3, 2016 addressed to National Assembly speaker Justin Muturi.

“It is quite perplexing that two years on no response has been received. Doesn’t this exemplify executive sabotage of parliamentary duties?”

Kabando now wants the Finance committee to make public the Kroll Report and take charge of tracing and recovering the pillaged assets hidden abroad.

The assets overseas include multi-million pound properties in London, New York, and South Africa; as well as a 10,000 hectare ranch in Australia.

President Mwai Kibaki hired Kroll Associates in 2003 to track and repatriate funds stashed abroad by business people and top public officials in the Kanu regime, but findings have never made public even after whistleblower site WikiLeaks published the explosive report in the run-up to the 2007 General Election.

Kanu operated a 40-year totalitarian administration until Mr Kibaki-led Narc dislodged it from power in the 2002 General Election.

Those named in the 110-page Kroll Report include retired President Moi’s sons Philip and Gideon, Joshua Kulei, who served as private secretary to Moi, ex-powerful Minister Nicholas Biwott and former VP Geroge Saitoti (deceased).

Mr Kulei allegedly owns several palatial residences in London “where his children go to school” says the report, giving addresses such as 19 Eaton Park, Cobham, Surrey, Flat 11, No49 and Lowdnes Square London.

In September 2007, then government spokesman Alfred Mutua (now Machakos governor), confirmed that the government had received the Kroll Report in 2004.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) as well as its predecessors are yet to pursue those named and recover the loot.

“We even engaged the services of people like Kroll Associates and they told us that we lost so many billions. Kenyans were excited that all that money will come back. But what happened?” asked Finance minister Amos Kimunya during a parliamentary debate on August 23, 2011.

The Kroll Report said that Philip Moi had assets worth £384 million while his brother Gideon Moi (currently Baringo senator) was reported to be worth £550 million. This translates to Sh54.5 billion and Sh78.1 billion respectively at current exchange rates.

Some of the Kibaki government officials named in the Kroll Report include Stanley Murage, Kibaki’s private secretary and former State House comptroller Matere Keriri – said to be the faces behind a project dubbed Team Simoco to supply a multi-billion shilling police communications.

Transnational Bank is accused of being the launder of stolen cash to the tune of Sh13 billion to overseas accounts, according to the Kroll Report.

– Business Daily