Assets worth over Ksh.428 million linked to former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his associates are set to be auctioned on the 23rd of this month.

The Assets Recovery Agency and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission are moving to seize properties believed to have been bought with stolen public funds.

The two agencies identified the properties to be auctioned in Nairobi today, with the exercise expected to be extended to Kisumu and Migori.

The hammer is about to fall on prime real estate once owned by former Migori Governor Okoth Obado and his close associates, properties at the heart of a Ksh.1.9 billion graft scandal exposed back in 2020.

Properties set to be auctioned include a plush Loresho Ridge house valued at Ksh.40 million, a three-bedroom Riara apartment worth Ksh.22 million, two Greenspan Estate apartments valued at Ksh.18 million, a Greenspan maisonette with a servant’s quarter valued at Ksh.14.5 million, and an unfinished Runda plot valued at Ksh.50 million.

These are just the Nairobi assets. More auctions are planned for Kisumu and Migori. Obado surrendered these properties in 2024 after striking a deal with the anti-graft commission, opting to avoid a drawn-out court battle.

"The person we were investigating came forward and said, 'Look, instead of dragging this case in court, I am willing to surrender," Abdi Ahmed, EACC CEO, stated.

The EACC had initially sought to recover more than Ksh.1.9 billion allegedly misappropriated by Obado and more than 20 others from the Migori County government through fictitious procurement contracts.

Obado and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission reached a settlement to surrender properties worth Ksh.428 million.

"The reason why we recover assets, other than returning them to the rightful owners, is actually to act as a deterrent to other people so they don't enjoy the proceeds of corruption," Ahmed stated. 

After the auction, the funds are set to be deposited into the Consolidated Fund to support public services.

"The problem we have with politicians is mainly their supporters, not the politicians themselves, because you will find the public wants you to investigate a politician but it's the same public that defends them," he added.

Read Also: Albert Ojwang Murder: Technician Who Tampered With CCTV Arrested, Says He Was Paid Ksh 3K

The commission says it has recovered assets worth Ksh.28 billion over the last five years and is currently pursuing over 400 more corruption cases valued at Ksh.50 billion.

"We have been able to train our investigators and our lawyers on things to do with financial graft."

And it’s not just houses—two Land Cruisers seized from Obado are also on the auction list.