The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has launched the auction of properties worth Ksh505 million seized from close associates of former Migori Governor Zachary Okoth Obado, marking one of Kenya’s largest asset recovery efforts in graft cases.
In its auction notice, the commission announced that 10 prime assets in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Migori counties will go under the hammer. These properties were surrendered under a plea bargain deal aimed at resolving the corruption case through alternative dispute resolution. The assets are linked to businessman Jared Kwaga, Joram Otieno, Caroline Obwa, and Yuda Otago Ojuki, who were accused of illegally acquiring public funds between 2013 and 2017.
Kwaga and Otieno faced charges alongside Obado and 13 others at the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court. The charges included economic crimes, money laundering, and unlawful acquisition of public property.
Court documents show that some of the wealth was funneled through companies contracted by the Migori County government to supply goods and services. Investigators found that some contracts were fictitious and part of a scheme to siphon public money.
According to the EACC, the suspects voluntarily surrendered the properties under the plea bargain arrangement, enabling the commission to recover the assets without lengthy court battles.
According to commission records, the auction will include a mix of residential, commercial, and office properties, with Kwaga forfeiting six assets, including residential apartments and maisonettes in Greenspan Estate, Nairobi, as well as two identical residential blocks in Suna East/Wasweta, Migori, each containing 10 apartments.
He will also lose Sunrise Centre, a storeyed office block with detached commercial buildings along the Migori–Kisii road and a townhouse in Loresho Ridge Estate, Nairobi.
Otieno is surrendering a 0.119-acre plot in Suna East/Wasweta, Migori, developed with two identical blocks of one-bedroom rental units along the Migori–Isebania highway.
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Obwa will forfeit a three-bedroom apartment in Riara, Nairobi, and a parcel of land in Kisumu’s Lolwe Estate developed with a four-storey block of flats. She was previously sued by the EACC in a separate recovery suit involving Ksh318 million.
Ojuki will lose a commercial property in Kamagambo, Rongo township, which includes a three-bedroom bungalow, a block of three semi-detached two-bedroom units and another block of two similar units.
“The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, in exercise of its powers of sale as granted by various Courts, shall sell the undermentioned properties by public auction,” the commission said.
The auctions are set to take place in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Migori in October 2025. The EACC urged prospective buyers to view and verify the properties before the sale. Prospective bidders should also deposit Ksh500,000 – refundable – using banker’s cheque to secure a bidding number, which will be their pass and entry ticket as well.
The commission explained that successful bidders have to pay 10 per cent of the price in cash on the auction day, while the balance of 90 per cent has to be paid within 60 days. The selling prices will be guided by reasonable reserve values and relevant approvals.
The EACC pointed out that proceeds from sales will be remitted to the development budget to fund basic services like education and health.
The agency also pointed out that its increasing utilization of alternative dispute resolution in graft cases provides a more effective and faster avenue for recovering public wealth, which presents suspects with a chance to settle the matter without having to endure lengthy litigation.
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