EACC goes for county officials in bid to recover Ksh1.6B

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is intensifying the war on graft, revealing major progress in high-profile investigations.

In the past eight months, the Commission says it has completed 89 cases, forwarding 82 of them to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for action.

Four of the cases involve current and former County Governors; two former Cabinet Secretaries, a Principal Secretary and CEOs and MDs of various State Corporations.

“Over the past eight months, the Commission has completed eighty-nine (89) high-profile cases. These investigation files have been submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), with recommendations to prosecute eighty-two (82) of the cases”, EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Ahmed Mohamud said.

He disclosed that more investigations are underway, among them cases involving five sitting  and 11 former governors facing allegations of embezzlement of public funds, money laundering, and unexplained wealth.

“In addition, the Commission is at an advanced stage of investigating five sitting Governors, 11 former Governors. These investigations relate to allegations of embezzlement of public funds, conflict of interest, money laundering, and possession of unexplained wealth, among other offenses under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act”, he explained.

In the counties, the Commission is pursuing cases worth Ksh1.6 billion involving over 800 officials linked to irregular payrolls, allowances, and loan embezzlement.

On asset recovery, EACC said since the beginning of this year, it has recovered 12 properties corruptly acquired, valued at approximately Ksh 600M and over Ksh105M in cash.

Further, it has averted the possible loss of Ksh7.2 B through proactive investigations.

Mohamud acknowledged the frustrations of Kenyans regarding the vice, pledging to upscale both preventive and enforcement efforts.

“Notwithstanding the aforementioned interventions, there is a continued feeling by Kenyans, especially the youthful population, that the level of corruption in the country is on the increase. This concerns the Commission as it does every responsible citizen of this country”, he noted.

“While the Commission acknowledges the frustration by Kenyans, I wish to assure the country that the Commission will upscale both its preventive and enforcement mandates geared towards effectively combating corruption in the country”, he committed.