Court freezes Sh16.9 million in accounts of Nairobi county chief officer and wife

A Milimani High Court has barred suspended Nairobi County Chief Officer for Urban Development and Planning Patrick Analo Akivaga and his wife, Damaris Sindavi Kayugira, from accessing millions held in their bank accounts as investigations into alleged corruption and unexplained wealth continue.

Justice Rose Ougo of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division issued preservation orders stopping the couple from withdrawing, transferring, disposing of, or in any way handling Sh16.9 million held in various accounts for six months.

The orders followed an application by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission seeking to safeguard the funds while probes are ongoing.

The court ruled that the money should remain untouched pending the completion of investigations into its source.

In her decision, Justice Ougo said she had reviewed the application filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the evidence provided by investigator Catherine Ngari through a supporting affidavit.

“On the basis of the facts as stated in the supporting affidavit, I am satisfied that there is a need to grant the orders sought herein,” Judge Ougo ruled.

Court documents show that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is investigating the couple over allegations of conflict of interest, abuse of office, bribery, and possession of unexplained assets. The probe followed a raid in which investigators reportedly recovered Sh65 million in cash from their home.

According to the commission, Analo, a Nairobi County Government employee, and his wife, who previously worked as a public officer at the Vihiga County Government between 2015 and 2021, were linked to companies that did business with the Vihiga County Government during her tenure.

“The 1st respondent (Analoh) is a public officer employed by Nairobi City County Government, and the 2nd respondent (Sindavi) was a public officer employed by Vihiga County Government between 2015 and 2021. The respondents are spouses, associates and business partners and directors in companies that traded with Vihiga County Government, where the 2nd respondent was an employee,” EACC reveals.

“The respondents (Analoh and Sindavi) have accumulated immense assets that are disproportionate to their known legitimate sources of income,” EACC adds.

The commission further says the couple received large sums of money through cash transactions, Mpesa and bank deposits, which are suspected to be linked to corrupt dealings.

Investigators told the court they feared the funds could be moved or disposed of before the completion of inquiries, making recovery difficult.

Court records indicate the frozen funds include Sh10,299,939 held in a Co-operative Bank account, Sh1,561,965 in an Equity Bank account, and Sh2,068,877 in a KCB Bank account registered under Analo’s name. Another Sh3,011,253 is held in a separate KCB account belonging to his wife.