Mr Chris Okemo (left) and former Kenya Power and Lighting boss Samuel Gichuru. FILE PHOTO | NMG Kenya and Jersey authorities have struck a deal that will see Sh444 million seized from the secret offshore banks belonging to former Kenya Power boss Samuel Gichuru and ex-Energy minister Chris Okemo repatriated.
Authorities in Jersey, which is part of the British Isles, say the Sh444 million will be the first batch of cash seized from Kenyans that will be repatriated to Nairobi—more than eight years after the secret accounts were frozen.
The repatriation deal disclosed by Jersey indicates the millions of shillings will be used for purchase of medical supplies to ease the burden of Covid-19 treatment, especially in rural areas where the public health system is creaking with scarce ICU units.
The Royal Court of Jersey said the Gichuru-Okemo slush fund received bribes in hard currency estimated at Sh997 million (£3.9 million and $4.2 million), but only half of the entire loot was found and seized last month.
Mr Gichuru and Mr Okemo had subtly wired large sums from the Jersey account to themselves in the years to 2002 and authorities were only able to recover and forfeit foreign currency amounting to Sh526 million and Sh444 million will now be wired back to Kenya after deducting court expenses.
“These funds belong to the Kenyan people. Once finalised, the first return under this agreement by the Attorney-General of Jersey will, at the request of the Government of Kenya, provide Sh444 million towards the Covid-19 recovery,” Jersey authorities said in disclosure appearing on its State website.
“This includes the procurement of essential medical equipment and supplies, and supporting health infrastructure in counties where there is limited funding, high risk of infection and limited bed capacity. It will also contribute to strengthening healthcare worker capacity and enhancing home-based care. All funds will be channelled directly through implementing partners.”
Nearly three quarters of Kenya’s intensive care unit (ICU) beds are in the two largest cities, Nairobi and Mombasa.
Yet the coronavirus is spreading into rural areas where hospitals have no basic items like oxygen.
The asset seizure proceedings and judgment offer a detailed breakdown of the goings-on in the secret account and a rare glimpse of the extent to which the duo benefited from their systematic bribery scheme.
The scheme was executed through Windward Trading Ltd — the entity through which Mr Gichuru received hefty kickbacks to award suppliers lucrative tenders during his two-decade […]