EACC told to address slow pace of corruption investigations

A Senate oversight committee has challenged the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to explain the sluggish pace of corruption investigations in county governments.

The commission's CEO, Abdi Mohamud informed the Senate County Public Accounts Committee that investigations into corruption are actively ongoing across all 47 county governments as well as within the national government.

At the same time, the Senate County Public Accounts Committee has labeled the country a crime scene, asserting that corruption is deeply entrenched among Kenyans.

“This entire country is drowning in corruption. Is there a single county that isn’t under investigation?” questioned committee chair Moses Kajwang’ (Homa Bay), emphasizing the widespread nature of the problem.

He pointed to Turkana as a case in point, revealing that the county headquarters—despite an expenditure of Sh800 million—remains incomplete, with the contractor nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Sh200 million has already been poured into just the foundation of the Governor’s residence.

Kajwang’ also pressed the commission on why cases, particularly those involving county governments, often take three to four years before reaching prosecution, raising concerns over delayed justice.

Meanwhile, the EACC boss has attributed the soaring wage bill in the counties to the continued use of manual payroll systems, paving way for ghost-workers to receive undeserved salaries.

He also noted that the anti-corruption watchdog is probing corruption cases across the country amounting to 5 billion shillings.