Assets recovery agency eyes Ngirita family assets in suit

A State agency now wants five parcels of land and three motor vehicles belonging to three members of the Ngirita family, forfeited to the government on grounds the property were bought with more than Sh400 million they received from the National Youth Service (NYS).

In an application to be heard on April 15, the Assets Recovery Agency said it believes that the land and the cars are proceeds of crime.

The said properties were frozen last year after the agency convinced Justice Hedwig Ong’udi that they suspected that they were proceeds of crime.

The properties are associated with Phyllis Njeri, Jeremiah Gichini Ngirita and their mother Lucy Wambui Ngitira.

They include a 0.70-hectare parcel of land in Waitaluk in Kitale registered in the name of Sylvia Ajiambo Ongoro. The agency said the land was sold to Ms Ngirita on June 2, 2016.

Another piece of land is in Naivasha town, which New Hope for All Nations sold to Mrs Ngirita on July 8, 2016, and another one-acre parcel in Nakuru East, which she acquired on April 25, 2017.

She is also alleged to have purchased a land in Kiamunyi area of Nakuru town in an agreement dated October 28, 2016, while Mr Gichini is said to have bought a parcel in Mwicingiri, Naivasha, on July 1, 2016.

Also to be forfeited to the government are three motor vehicles — two Toyota station wagons and a pickup model — registered in the names of Opportunity International Wedco limited and Platinum Credit.

The agency said investigations into their bank statements and documents concerning the accounts, established that the three and their business entities, as well as associates, received funds fraudulently from the NYS.

The said money was allegedly intra-transferred within the same bank into accounts belonging to the family members and associates.

Some of the funds were allegedly used to purchase the suspected properties.

The investigator said there was reasonable cause to believe that the said properties are proceeds of crime and need to be preserved pending an application for them to be forfeited to the government.

“It is in the interest of justice that court issues an order that the said assets belonging to the three and which are reasonably believed to be proceeds of crime be forfeited to government and transferred to ARA,” said Fredrick Musyoki, an investigator, said in a statement.

The documents showed that Ms Njeri received into her personal account Sh57 million, which the NYS paid directly to her personal account contrary to procedure.

The agency said the payments are a clear case of fraud because there is no evidence of goods or services that the NYS procured directly from her.

The family received Sh466.7 million from the NYS.

Ms Ngirita received Sh109 million from NYS. It is further alleged that Ms Ngirita and her son Jeremiah through his company Jerrycathy received Sh133 million between October 17 and 18, 2016. She further alleged to have received through her company Waluco Investments Sh154 million from the NYS between February 2016 and February 2017.

Last year, the three made an application for the vehicles to be released.

They told the court that they were not making use of the vehicles, which are being held at Naivasha Police Station and that the continued grounding of the vehicles is unlawful, irregular and unwarranted.

They said the vehicles are co-owned with a financial institution, which financed the purchase and they continue to accrue interest.

The Ngiritas have denied charges of fraudulently receiving payments from the NYS, for goods not supplied.