EACC freezes Ksh.245M assets linked to Lands ministry officer

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has obtained High Court orders freezing funds in two bank accounts and restricting dealings in six properties and a motor vehicle linked to a public procurement officer and his spouse in a Ksh.244.97 million recovery case.

The orders, issued on October 13, 2026, bar Patrick Makau Muteti, a Principal Supply Chain Management Officer at the State Department for Lands and Physical Planning, his spouse Lilian Wanza Musili and other interested parties from withdrawing or transferring funds in the specified accounts or selling, transferring, leasing or otherwise disposing of the listed assets pending an inter partes hearing.

In court filings seen by Citizen Digital, the commission alleges that Muteti participated in or influenced procurement processes through which six businesses owned or controlled by his spouse received payments totalling Ksh.244,972,109.25 from the State Department between January 2015 and September 2025.

The businesses named in the suit are Pampire Hyper Solutions, Momentum Solutions, Trihard Solutions, Vineyard Hyper Solutions, Moptive Enterprises Limited and Trimple Agencies Limited.

According to the EACC, the procurement transactions involved a conflict of interest because Muteti allegedly participated in processes involving businesses linked to his spouse without disclosing his private interest or recusing himself.

The commission further alleges that the businesses received contracts through procurement processes that breached public procurement laws, including the use of the request-for-quotations method for transactions whose values exceeded the applicable statutory threshold.

Court documents state that: "Muteti’s procurement duties included initiating electronic tenders through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), inviting bidders, conducting market surveys, preparing bid documents and participating in tender evaluation committees."

The EACC also alleges that, in some instances, Muteti had access to bids before their official opening and participated in procurement processes where businesses associated with his spouse were among the bidders.

The commission further claims that some goods were delivered and invoices raised before the relevant local purchase orders were signed by authorised officers.

The court has restricted dealings in two bank accounts held at KCB Bank and Co-operative Bank. The EACC’s pleadings state that some of the funds were traced to accounts belonging to Musili and one of their children.

The assets covered by the orders include five properties in Nairobi, another property in Konza South and a Toyota Vanguard registration number KCK 858B.

The commission’s filings list the properties and vehicle at a combined value of Ksh.266.98 million. The assets include a property in Nairobi’s Dandora area valued at Ksh.49.5 million, another valued at Ksh.87.7 million and land in Konza South valued at Ksh.56.5 million.

In the substantive suit, the EACC is seeking restitution of Ksh.244,972,109.25, arguing that the payments were made through procurement transactions allegedly tainted by conflict of interest and breaches of procurement requirements.

Alternatively, the commission wants the identified properties and vehicle forfeited and sold, and the funds held in the specified bank accounts forfeited to the government.

The court directed the respondents to file their responses within 14 days of service of the application and scheduled the inter partes hearing for November 19, 2026. Both parties are required to file and serve written submissions by November 17.

The interim orders do not amount to a final determination of the allegations or a ruling granting the recovery sought by the commission.