The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has taken steps to reclaim salaries, allowances, and other earnings accrued by a Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) lecturer, following revelations of dual employment.
As per EACC findings, the lecturer received these amounts while serving as a part-time employee in Kirinyaga County, a position conflicting with her permanent role at JKUAT.
The lecturer’s attempt to maintain payments from the County Assembly after an EACC directive to cease payments from July 27, 2022, faced a setback in the Employment and Labour Court in Nyeri. The court dismissed her case, ruling against her dual employment, which breached constitutional provisions outlined in Chapter Six.
Justice Onesmus Makau highlighted that the lecturer’s full-time commitment at JKUAT made her ineligible for a part-time position in the County Assembly. The court’s decision deemed her double employment irregular and unlawful, an assessment that invalidated her earnings from the County Assembly.
EACC’s spokesperson, Eric Ngumbi, termed this as a fraudulent acquisition of public funds and announced plans to employ this ruling as a precedent in pursuing similar cases of conflict of interest among public servants. Ngumbi emphasized that the EACC is actively investigating numerous cases involving conflict of interest across both national and county governments.
Ngumbi stressed the impossibility of maintaining two full-time roles simultaneously, emphasizing that such actions compromise the effectiveness and commitment expected in public service.
