EACC operation uncovers alleged extortion scheme by Garissa County Chief

The Chief of Bulla Mzuri Location in Garissa County, Abdirahman Shafe Yussuf, is facing charges for allegedly extorting money from refugees seeking services from his office.

According to reports, the suspect was apprehended during an operation conducted by the EACC Garissa Regional Office on Thursday, prompted by numerous complaints from victims.

It’s reported that the Chief has gained notoriety for demanding bribes in connection with the ongoing de-registration of fingerprints from the UNHCR system.

Allegedly, before allowing the process to proceed, he demands every service seeker to pay Ksh 3000 as a “consultation fee” and an additional Ksh 10,000 as a “facilitation fee,” despite the service being free.

Prior to the EACC intervention, all service seekers were allegedly required to pay the illegal charges to the chief’s accomplice operating from a Motor Vehicle Registration Number KCY 656W (White Probox) parked outside the vetting hall, as a mandatory condition for processing the service.

During the operation, the Commission reportedly recovered Ksh 139,000 from the chief, believed to be part of the day’s collection, along with a list of 85 double-registered applicants indicating the amount paid by each.

The suspect was processed at the EACC Garissa Regional Office and released on police bond pending the finalization of the probe.

The Commission has since condemned such actions by public officers, describing them as despicable acts of taking advantage of vulnerable service seekers to extort money from them, breaching public trust.

Service seekers and other individuals visiting service delivery points are urged to continue exposing public officials demanding bribes to provide the services they are employed to deliver.

The Commission can be contacted through Toll-Free No. 1551 or the email address report@integrity.go.ke for reporting such incidents.