Uhuru, UK premier in asset seizure deal

President Uhuru Kenyatta and British Prime Minister Theresa May when they addressed the media August 310, 2018 at State House Nairobi. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NMG 

By JAMES KARIUKI

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Summary

• The move could see property seized from Moi-era men named in the Kroll Report.
• President Mwai Kibaki hired Kroll Associates in 2003 to track and repatriate funds stashed abroad by business people and top public officials in the Moi era.
• However, findings have never been made public even after whistle-blower site WikiLeaks published the explosive report in the run-up to the 2007 General Election.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Britain Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday signed an agreement for the UK to return assets and proceeds of corruption to Kenya.

The move could see property seized from Moi-era men named in the Kroll Report.

Mr Kenyatta and Ms May’s deal will target the ill-gotten wealth hidden in Britain. These include cash in banks, prime real estate, ranches and shares in multinationals.

The deal comes amid heightened clampdown on corruption, which has brought charges against dozens of business people and public servants, including Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.

“We must make it painful and costly for anyone who stashed ill-begotten money abroad. Fighting graft is one of my legacy pledges to Kenyans and I promise repatriated funds will be used in projects that benefit Kenyans,” the President said.

READ: Rotich hands AG burden of Moi-era asset seizures

The search for ill-gotten wealth will turn the focus on the forensic study by Kroll Associates that detailed plunder of taxpayers’ cash during the Kanu regime.

President Mwai Kibaki hired Kroll Associates in 2003 to track and repatriate funds stashed abroad by business people and top public officials in the Moi era. However, findings have never been made public even after whistle-blower site WikiLeaks published the explosive report in the run-up to the 2007 General Election.

The assets overseas include multi-million pound properties in London, New York, and South Africa, as well as a 10,000 hectare ranch in Australia.

Kroll says they were never allowed to finish the assignment, a signal that the US firm managed to track some of the stolen wealth. The UK government had offered to help trace and repatriate the stolen funds stashed in Britain.