Court Allows Embattled Tycoon Mary Wambui to Travel Abroad to Buy Hotel Furniture

A Nairobi court has allowed embattled businesswoman Mary Wambui, who is facing tax evasion charges, to travel abroad.

Wambui had filed an application seeking the court’s approval to travel to Turkey in February for the purchase of furniture for a hotel she is putting up in Nairobi.

On Wednesday, Chief Magistrate Felix Kombo of the anti-corruption court allowed Wambui’s application and directed her to get a surety. 

Wambui on Monday told the court that she needed to travel to Turkey on February 24th for pre-inspection and approval of the furniture her company has acquired. 

“I am required to travel to Turkey for a pre-inspection and approval of furniture prototypes in satisfaction of the terms of a contract for manufacture and supply of hotel furniture between Glee Hotel ltd, a company in which I am the principal director and shareholder and Sagist Group, a hotel furniture factory in Istanbul, Turkey,” she said in an affidavit. 

Wambui, who promised to surrender her passport to court immediately after she returns to the country, averred that failure to travel might occasion her company financial losses. 

The business lady and her daughter Purity Njoki were last month charged with evading taxes amounting to Sh2.2 billion. The two, who are directors of Purma Holdings, were charged with seven counts of omitting tax returns alongside their company Purma Holdings.

They pleaded not guilty and were released on a cash bail of Sh25 million each or an alternative bond of Sh50 million plus two sureties.

Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) had earlier issued an alert to seal border points and airports in a bid to block Wambui from leaving the country after she failed to appear in court to answer to tax evasion charges.

Investigations established that between 2014 and 2019, Purma Holdings omitted from its income tax returns income of Sh4.5 billion thereby resulting in a tax liability of Sh2.2 billion.

Wambui was a member of the Friends of Jubilee Foundation lobby that raised millions of shillings for President Kenyatta’s re-election campaign in 2017 in two hours.