A senior land official in Busia is in custody after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) accused him of demanding a Sh10,000 bribe to release a processed title deed. Collins Aiela Liyayi, the county’s Land Registrar, was arrested on September 24, 2025, during a sting operation by EACC’s Western Regional Office.
According to the anti-graft agency, the registrar had withheld the document until the complainant paid what he called “release fees.”
His arrest followed weeks of surveillance and investigations triggered by complaints from members of the public.
"Preliminary findings established that the Land Registrar had made it a routine to withhold titles processed for members of the public seeking services at the Lands Registry, after which he demands bribes in order to release them," EACC said in a statement.
The official was apprehended in the afternoon and taken to the commission’s Western Regional Office in Bungoma.
“He was processed and subsequently booked at Bungoma Police Station pending further action today,” the agency confirmed.
EACC stressed that the operation was part of its wider effort to stamp out bribery and abuse of office in key service delivery institutions. “We will continue to intensify surveillance and scale up intelligence gathering to safeguard public interest in service delivery,” the commission said.
The law prescribes tough penalties for bribery in land transactions.
Under the Bribery Act, 2016 and the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, 2003, those found guilty can be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, fined up to Sh5 million, or both. In addition, an offender may be ordered to pay a mandatory fine equal to five times the value of the bribe or loss caused.
