The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has won court orders to reclaim Sh13 million from former Nairobi City Council official Mary Ng’ethe over her role in the Sh283 million cemetery land scandal.
The High Court ruling, delivered on March 24, 2026, confirmed that Ng’ethe, who chaired the Technical Evaluation Committee, was central to the fraudulent land transaction.
Justice Benjamin Musyoki found that Ng’ethe orchestrated a flawed procurement process and received money as a reward for her involvement.
The court held that her actions directly facilitated the irregularities, leading to public funds being misappropriated.
According to the Commission, Ng’ethe “received the money as a kickback for her role in facilitating the fraudulent scheme,” adding that the recovered funds rightfully belong to the public and must be returned to state coffers. Investigations by the EACC showed that the Nairobi City Council lost substantial money in the irregular purchase of land intended for cemetery use under a Sh283 million tender.
The anti-graft body reported that the land acquired was unsuitable for cemetery purposes, and the contract price had been grossly inflated.
Only Sh110 million of the total payment went to the registered owner, while the remaining amount was fraudulently shared among those involved in the scheme.
“The land acquired was unsuitable for cemetery use and the contract price was grossly inflated,” the Commission stated.
Court proceedings revealed widespread irregularities in the procurement, including manipulated tender evaluations and forged documents used to justify the inflated valuation.
The judge ruled that the process should have been stopped when no bidder met the mandatory requirements, describing subsequent actions as illegal and fraudulent.
Ng’ethe had previously been convicted in Nairobi Anti-Corruption Criminal Case No. 20 of 2010, receiving a three-year prison sentence alongside a mandatory fine of Sh52 million.
The Commission has already recovered over Sh80 million through multiple civil suits against other beneficiaries of the scheme, in addition to fines collected following criminal convictions.
One related criminal case is still pending in court.
The EACC reaffirmed its commitment to recovering proceeds of corruption and holding perpetrators accountable, promising to continue pursuing those who benefited from fraudulent schemes.