Integrity questions are emerging around Kinyua Mwaniki, a board member of the Estate Agents Registration Board (EARB), following a growing dispute over a KSh 3.09 million fatal accident compensation awarded by a Makindu court.
Court records show that the Senior Principal Magistrates Court at Makindu in July 2019 awarded KSh 3,098,213 to a widow from Mwingi after finding the defendants 90 percent liable for a road crash that claimed her husband’s life.
The deceased later succumbed to injuries while receiving treatment at Aga Khan Hospital.
Documents reviewed by Channel 15 News indicate that the defendants’ insurer, Directline Assurance Company Limited, remitted a partial payment of KSh 1.5 million in October 2019 to Kinyua Mwaniki & Wainaina Advocates, the firm that represented the widow at the time.
The balance of the decretal sum was reportedly placed in a joint interest-earning account pending appeal.
The widow now claims she was neither informed of the payment nor received the funds. Through new legal representatives, she has issued a formal demand seeking immediate remittance and a full accounting of the compensation.
Efforts by Channel 15 News to obtain a direct response from Mr. Mwaniki were unsuccessful by the time of publication.
Regulatory Role Under Spotlight
The matter has attracted heightened attention because Mr. Mwaniki serves as a board member of EARB, a statutory body under the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development mandated to regulate and license estate agents in Kenya.
Board members of regulatory authorities are expected to uphold high ethical standards given their oversight role over professionals entrusted with client funds and property transactions.
While the dispute remains civil in nature and no disciplinary finding has been made, governance analysts note that unresolved questions involving client funds can raise reputational concerns for individuals holding public regulatory office.
LSK Response
Channel 15 News also reached out to Grace Mwatha, associated with the Lower Eastern branch of the Law Society of Kenya, seeking comment on whether the matter had been brought to the Society’s attention.
Mwatha told Channel 15 News that she was not aware of the issue when contacted.
The response suggests that, as of publication, no formal disciplinary process had been publicly initiated at the regional level.
Under the Advocates Act, complaints relating to handling of client funds may be escalated to the Society’s disciplinary structures if formally lodged.
Growing Public Interest
Medical documents from German Medical Center indicate that the widow is battling recurrent colon cancer with suspected metastasis, intensifying calls for clarity and resolution.
The controversy now intersects professional accountability, regulatory oversight, and public confidence in statutory boards.
Whether the dispute is resolved privately or escalates into formal disciplinary proceedings remains to be seen.
For now, the matter continues to generate integrity questions for an EARB board member over a KSh 3.09 million court award dispute.
Channel 15 News will continue to follow developments.
