Wavinya Ndeti Responds To Claims She Smuggled Millions Of Shillings From Kenya To Deposit In UK

• Machakos governor Wavinya Ndeti has denied allegations that she smuggled millions of shillings from Kenya to the United Kingdom
• Online reports had alleged that a UK bank refused to accept large sums of cash from Ndeti due to concerns over the money's legitimacy
• Ndeti dismissed the allegations as false and demeaning, emphasising that she and her family are safe and in good standing both in Kenya and abroad
• Ndeti announced her intention to take legal action against those spreading the defamatory rumours, accusing them of endangering her and her family's safety

Elijah Ntongai, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, has more than three years of financial, business, and technology research expertise, providing insights into Kenyan and global trends.

Wavinya Ndeti has issued a statement following allegations she has smuggled millions of shillings from Kenya.

The Machakos governor has been trending online with claims that she was stranded abroad due to a banking dispute.

Trending reports online alleged that a United Kingdom bank refused to accept large sums of cash due to concerns about the legitimacy of the money.

Wavinya Ndeti responds to money laundering claims

In a statement, the governor denied the allegations, terming them as misinformation by political detractors.

"It is demeaning and an insult to the intelligence of the people of Machakos and Kenya to imagine that I would smuggle hundreds of millions of shillings on my person to the United Kingdom and that I have been detained. Those fabricating falsity are clearly ignorant of the robust nature of UK Customs/Border Control and Financial Institutions. I can confirm that my family and I are safe and sound and remain in good standing both home and abroad," the statement read in part.

She said that she intends to identify, pursue, and bring before the law all those peddling baseless rumours and fake news.

"This amounts to defamation and misuse of electronic media to spread falsehoods. Such malicious misinformation has created perceptions about me and my family members that endanger our lives. Let the authors of this narrative be warned that should anything happen to any member of my family or myself, you shall be held personally responsible," Ndeti said.

EACC arrests cleaner owning 7 companies

In other related news on TUKO.co.ke, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission pursued 13 people believed to have looted over KSh 450 million from the State Department of Correctional Services.

Five of them were apprehended on Thursday, July 18, ahead of their arrangement the following morning.

Among the arrested suspects was Eric Kimutai, a cleaner at the department, whom the EACC said owns seven companies that received part of the loot.

Proofreading by Otukho Jackson, a multimedia journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke