The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has disclosed the most corrupt counties in the North Eastern region of the country, according to a report presented to the Senate’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) on Thursday, September 8.
However, Marsabit County stands out as the leader with a staggering 90 reported cases of corruption, followed closely by Samburu with 87 cases. Wajir county is third with 32, while Mandera completes the top four with 22 cases.
Twalib Mbarak, the CEO of EACC, emphasized that these cases are among the 231 graft-related cases that the Commission has received and processed in the four counties.
“The Commission has prioritized 67 high-impact cases, which have been completed or are at various advanced stages of investigation,” stated the report.
Inflated tender ‘deals’
Twalib Mbarak, the EACC Chief Executive Officer, shed light on some of the specific cases under investigation. Many of them involve inquiries into inflated tenders for the purchase of goods, such as tractors and vehicles.
In Wajir County, allegations of embezzlement of public funds amounting to Ksh26.1 million have been successfully concluded in court, resulting in convictions.
Furthermore, EACC is investigating allegations of irregular recruitment to fill 23 positions by the Samburu County Assembly. Other claims in Samburu include the misappropriation of public funds in the purchase of survey equipment at an inflated cost of Ksh 9.6 million.
In Marsabit County, EACC is vigorously pursuing the recovery of stolen funds in six cases where county officials are accused of embezzling money meant for drilling boreholes and tree planting.
Additionally, there is an ongoing inquiry into a Ksh20 million relief food supply tender awarded to a local Marsabit company. It has been reported that Ksh20 million was irregularly disbursed for the excavation of a water pan in the same county.
Twalib Mbarak also informed the Senate committee that many cases previously presented to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for prosecution have been referred back to the agency for further investigations, underlining the complexity and depth of corruption issues in these counties.
