The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has started the process of auctioning 10 high-value properties belonging to four associates of former Migori Governor Okoth Obado in a bid to recover Sh505 million said to have been lost from public funds.

EACC has contracted three firms—Galaxy Auctioneers, Keysian Auctioneers and Astorion Auctioneers—to handle the sales. The firms have announced that interested buyers can visit their offices for details.

Among those affected is Caroline Adhiambo Obwa, whose apartment at Riara in Nairobi will be auctioned on October 9 at the Pangani Auction Centre by Galaxy Auctioneers. Another of her properties, a storey building in Savannah Court, Lolwe Estate in Kisumu, will be sold on October 16 by Keysian Auctioneers at Nyaluoyo Auctioneers Centre.

Another associate, Jared Peter Oluoch Kwaga, will lose several properties, including three apartments in Greenspan Estate, Nairobi, and a house at Loresho Ridge Estate along Waiyaki Way. These will be auctioned on October 9 at Pangani. On October 16, his offices at Sunrise Centre in Migori and a residential property 1.2 km from the County Commissioner’s offices will also be sold by Astorion Auctioneers at Nyaluoyo Centre.

Other properties lined up for auction include offices in Rongo Township, Migori County, registered under Yuda Otago Ojuki, and a parcel of land in Suna belonging to Joram Opala Otieno.

This development comes just weeks after Obado and some of his co-accused surrendered assets worth Sh235 million in a plea bargain agreement with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). The deal was linked to a Sh73.4 million corruption case.

Obado, alongside 17 others—including family members, close associates, and several companies—was accused of misappropriating public funds from Migori County between 2013 and 2017. They were charged in 2021 with 25 counts, including conspiracy to commit economic crimes, conflict of interest, money laundering, and unlawful acquisition of public property.

The ODPP said the plea deal was reached after the accused formally requested to settle the matter through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

“After receiving written requests, the DPP directed the prosecution team to engage the EACC and defence lawyers. Three meetings were held, leading to a consensus to settle the matter through a plea bargain,” the ODPP said in a statement.

As part of the agreement, Obado and his associates agreed to surrender assets worth three times the disputed amount. These included eight parcels of land and two Toyota Land Cruiser vehicles.

The surrendered properties included:

The plea bargain was presented in court under Section 137A–O of the Criminal Procedure Code and the Plea Bargaining Rules, 2018.

The companies charged alongside Obado included Misfort Limited, Tarchdog Printers Limited, Kajulu Business Limited, Victorious Investments Limited, Deltrack ICT Services Limited, Swyfcon Engineering Limited, and Dolphus Softwares Limited.