EACC recovers over Ksh 30M in illegal allowances from two treasury officials

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered Ksh 39,180,000 fraudulently paid to two officials of the National Treasury, in the form of illegal and unauthorized allowances.

In a judgment delivered on June 4, 2025, by Hon. Lady Justice L.M. Njuguna of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Division of the High Court in Nairobi, the court found that Robert Theuri Murage and Doris Nafula Simiyu had illegally received public funds disguised as various allowances, including task force, extraneous, entertainment, facilitation, and other unspecified payments.

The court ordered Robert Theuri Murage to repay Ksh 20,318,000. Of this amount, Ksh 11,078,601 preserved in his Equity Bank account will be forfeited, while the remaining Ksh 9,239,398.17 is to be paid in cash.

Similarly, Doris Nafula Simiyu was directed to refund Ksh 18,862,000, with Ksh 8,953,988.74 preserved in her National Bank account forfeited, and the balance of Kes9,908,011.26 to be settled in cash.

The judgment follows investigations by EACC, which began in July 2022 after the Commission received reports of misappropriation of public funds through irregular payments within the National Treasury.

Investigations revealed that between January 2020 and June 2022, the two officials received multiple and overlapping allowances without proper approval from the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

Some of the allowances were based on outdated or revoked government circulars, while others were entirely unauthorized or duplicated. The court reaffirmed that SRC advisories are binding under Article 230 of the Constitution and found that the two officials had knowingly engaged in a fraudulent scheme that resulted in their unjust enrichment at the expense of the public.

This Judgment is a major step in EACC’s efforts to recover stolen public funds and enforce accountability in the use of public resources.