This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
On June 29, 2020, detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) apprehended Joseph Chege Gikonyo, a former Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) manager, and his wife Lucy Kangai Stephen. The couple was accused of harbouring more than Ksh500 million in unexplained wealth.
The EACC stated that the couple was arrested alongside their alleged accomplices, who were accused of failing to remit taxes. The agency found that the couple amassed Ksh597,457,059 in just five years between 2010 and 2015, but failed to account for the means through which they acquired the money.
Additionally, Giche Limited, a company connected to the duo, failed to remit taxes, resulting in a deficit of Ksh38,692,694.
The suspects' file was forwarded to the Office of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for arraignment in court. The couple is expected to appear in court for plea taking on June 30, 2020.
Gikonyo had served as the KRA manager for the Eldoret branch until he was interdicted. The former manager had been working with the tax collector since 1998, but his wealth raised suspicions.
The EACC queried his source of wealth after determining that Gikonyo had supposedly only amassed Ksh45 million over the years he had been in public service in salaries and bonuses from his tea farming.
However, in 2018, Gikonyo had registered property in parts of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale counties valued at Sh355 million, and cash deposits of at least Sh399 million in various accounts. His salary was pegged at Ksh 119,000.
When he started working with KRA, Gikonyo could take home a basic salary of Ksh24,369 as a junior employee. Most of his suspect sources of income were numerous cash transactions to his Mpesa account from a number of clearing and forwarding companies.
