'I have grown by Ksh.100M,' Alice Wahome reveals source of her wealth

Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary nominee Alice Wahome says she is worth Ksh.327 million up from her Ksh.218 net worth when she assumed office as a Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary in 2022.

Wahome who spoke before the National Assembly Committee on Appointments for vetting on Thursday said that her wealth is jointly accumulated with her husband.

She noted that her wealth had been amassed through properties and her salary in her previous job as a CS before she was fired when President Ruto dissolved the Cabinet last month.

“My net worth is about Ksh.327.65 million, mine and my husband.  I was worth slightly less, I was worth Ksh.218.4 million,” she said.

When tasked to explain the over Ksh.100 million margin in less than two years, Wahome revealed that the properties that she owns had appreciated in value, adding that one specific tenant who owed her Ksh. 14 million paid in March.

“I have grown by Ksh.100 million…It is the properties which have appreciated in value. There is one tenant who was not paying my family rent and they paid Ksh.14 million sometime in March,” said Wahome.

During her past appearance in 2022, the former Water CS said that her source of income at the time was the salary she received as Kandara MP, monthly rent from some of her properties, and a monthly allowance from her law firm of Ksh.100,000.

"My net worth is Ksh.218 million and this is the value of properties between myself and my husband. They are family assets. Until September I have earned a salary from parliament and been in and off practising though very low because as a member of parliament, you have very little time in your hands," she said

"I get a fuel allowance of about Ksh.100,000 from my firm and also from these properties, which are in my name, I get about Ksh.500,000 a month but at the moment they do not have tenants since Covid and therefore I have no income coming from that end. I'm relying on the little Ksh.100,000 and the MP salary."

Wahome was the third CS nominee to be vetted on Thursday after her Interior and Education counterparts Prof Kithure Kindiki and Deborah Barasa respectively.

Kindiki said his current net worth was Ksh.694 million up from Ksh.544 million in 2022 while Barasa said she was worth Ksh.455 million.