NAIROBI, Kenya – The High Court has stopped the Kiambu County Government from paying more than Sh166 million to a technology firm over a tender the anti-graft agency says was irregularly awarded.
Lady Justice Lucy Njuguna of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division issued the interim orders on October 31, 2025, restraining the county from paying Filtronic International Limited the remaining balance under a Sh230 million contract for an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system.
“An interim order of injunction be and is hereby issued to last for 14 days… restraining the Interested Party from paying the 4th Defendant Sh166,295,500,” read part of the order.
The injunction, which will remain in force for two weeks, followed an urgent application by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), which is investigating the deal.
The court directed the Commission to serve all respondents immediately, who have seven days to respond.
EACC has listed six defendants in the suit — Bernard Theuri, Chen Ligou, Martha Wachinga, Filtronic International Limited, Phyllis Muiruri, and Zachary Gitau — while the County Government of Kiambu is named as an interested party.
The Commission is seeking to have the tender award and contract declared illegal and void, citing falsified financial and technical information during the bidding process.
It also wants to recover Sh63.7 million already paid to Filtronic and obtain a permanent injunction against any further payments.
According to court documents sworn by EACC investigator Juliet Kavala, the tender was advertised on March 30, 2023, closed on April 6, and was awarded shortly thereafter under questionable circumstances.
The agency alleges that Filtronic’s bid contained falsified financial statements, forged bank documents, and fake staff CVs.
It also claims that the company’s audited accounts for 2020–2022 were fabricated and that the purported auditing firm had no record of the work.
“Investigations established that Filtronic’s financial statements were never audited by the named firm and that its bank statements were falsified,” the EACC said in its affidavit.
The six-month contract, signed on April 24, 2023, was worth Sh230 million, but by November that year, little work had been completed, according to investigators.
EACC says the project’s procurement process violated public procurement laws, with the contract being extended after expiry despite only one bid being received.
The anti-graft agency moved to court to stop the release of the Sh166.3 million balance, saying it was acting to safeguard public funds.
The case will be heard inter partes on November 13, 2025, when the court will decide whether to extend or lift the temporary injunction.
