The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is set to auction properties valued at more than Sh428 million that were seized from former Migori governor Okoth Obado and former Nairobi County official Stephen Osiro.

The auction has already been approved by the courts and is part of the commission’s plan to recover stolen public assets and hold corrupt public officers accountable.

The properties, located in Nairobi, Kisumu and Migori counties, were recovered through successful forfeiture proceedings.

Obado was found to have irregularly acquired assets worth hundreds of millions of shillings through his associate Jared Peter Odoyo Oluoch Kwaga. Investigations by the commission revealed that many of the properties were registered under Kwaga and other associates who acted as conduits for embezzled county funds.

In Greenspan Estate, Donholm, Nairobi, Kwaga bought two three-bedroom apartments and a townhouse worth Sh32.5 million.

He also acquired a Sh40 million maisonette in Loresho, which currently generates Sh130,000 in monthly rent. All these properties are scheduled for auction.

In Migori, Kwaga’s assets targeted for auction include a Sh10 million residential development in Kamagambo and three properties in Suna East. Among them is a 20-unit apartment block of two-bedroom units valued at Sh57.6 million and Sunshine Centre—a commercial complex worth Sh88 million.

Another property set for auction is an eight-unit one-bedroom rental building valued at Sh7.5 million that Obado acquired through Joram Opala Otieno. In total, the assets tied to Obado and his associates are valued at Sh235.6 million.

Stephen Osiro, who served as a chief finance officer at Nairobi County, was found to have amassed Sh340 million between January 2011 and April 2016—an amount far beyond what his monthly salary of Sh90,000 could support. A lifestyle audit and investigations by EACC linked his wealth to corruption and unexplained sources, resulting in a court ruling for forfeiture.

In Nairobi, Osiro lost a Sh50 million maisonette under construction in Runda, a Sh22 million three-bedroom apartment in Riara, and a Sh6 million two-bedroom apartment on Mbagathi Way near Nairobi West. In Kisumu, he forfeited two apartment blocks in Lolwe Estate. One, still under construction, was valued at Sh80 million, while the other—a complex of seven two-bedroom apartments—was valued at Sh35 million. The total value of recovered assets from Osiro stands at Sh193 million.

EACC chief executive Abdi Mohamud said the auction proceeds will be remitted to the National Treasury and used to support public institutions or services that were affected by corruption. In the meantime, rental income from the properties is being managed by the commission.

“The goal of asset recovery beyond returning wealth to the rightful owners—the public—is to act as a deterrent so others don’t enjoy the benefits of stolen assets. It’s about restoring trust in public institutions and showing that corruption does not pay,” Mohamud said.

He said the accelerated pace of asset recovery has been boosted by the use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

The commission urged members of the public to report suspicious wealth accumulation by public officials. “Reporting enables us to initiate investigations. Corruption cases have no statute of limitations—we will pursue them to the end,” said Karuga.