Just a week after they raided his Muthaiga residence and a private office in Westlands in search of documents, EACC investigators are now focusing on 13 parcels of land across the country owned by Kidero.
The commission has written to the Lands Registrar seeking several documents related to the parcels to facilitate the investigations. They want the certificates of search, certified copies of respective deed files and certified copies of respective correspondence files.
“The commission is currently undertaking investigations relating to the above-listed parcels of land,” deputy director of investigations Humphrey Mahiva said in a letter to the Registrar dated August 20.
EACC also wants the registrar to put a caveat on one of the parcels – Nairobi Block 91/156 – until investigations are concluded.
The commission believes that the parcels, which are mostly in Nairobi and Mombasa, were acquired fraudulently. But Kidero has protested and accused the commission of intimidation and witch hunt. He says the EACC has violated his rights and acted in blatant disregard of the law.
“Plot 91/156 is in Gigiri and I bought it in 1991 and built it. I moved into the house in 1993. The other plots are in Nyali and I bought them between 1995 and 2005 and I built them then,” he said.
“So if the issue is about tracing the assets which I bought when I was a governor, why are they going to these? It is just a demonstration that it is intimidation and witch-hunt,” he lamented.
On Wednesday, the former city boss filed an application in the High Court to stop EACC from searching and seizing his property. He also sought an order to compel the commission to surrender all the documents it seized from his office last Thursday. Through lawyer Tom Ojienda, Kidero argued that the search warrant availed by the detectives was faulty.
Kidero said yesterday that the EACC has resorted to ‘attacking my family and taking away their things.’
“Enough is enough. It’s an unacceptable invasion of privacy, bullying, intimidation and attempts to break us as a family,” he said.
Kidero was arrested on August 8 and charged the following day alongside other former county officials with corruption and abuse of office.
The former officers included County Secretary Lilian Ndegwa, Finance Chief Officer
Jimmy Kiamba, Finance Executive Gregory Mwakanongo, Head of Treasury Stephen Osiro, Head of Revenue Morris Okere and acting Finance Chief Officer Luke Gatimu.
Kidero and the former officers were accused of conspiring to commit fraud which led to the loss of Sh213, 327, 300 at the county. They allegedly committed the offence between January 16, 2014, and January 25, 2016.
Also charged were businessman John Githua and Grace Njeri of Lodwar Wholesalers Ltd and Ngurumani Traders Ltd, respectively. The companies allegedly received millions from the county for services not rendered.
