Officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) have arrested 11 officials from the Vihiga County Government in connection with the alleged theft of Ksh17 million. The EACC, in a statement released on its official platforms, revealed that the suspects allegedly embezzled the funds through fraudulent payments for non-existent works purportedly for the construction of a Blood Transfusion Centre in Vihiga.
“The suspects allegedly embezzled public funds amounting to Ksh17 million through fraudulent payments for non-existent works in the purported construction of a Blood Transfusion Centre in Vihiga to help patients requiring blood transfusion,” the commission stated.
The 11 suspects are scheduled to be arraigned at the Kakamega Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday, June 13. “The suspects, who spent the night at Kisumu Port Police Station, are currently being escorted from Kisumu to Kakamega Law Courts to take a plea,” the EACC noted.
The commission also ordered a 12th suspect, who is currently at large, to immediately report to the EACC Regional Office in Kisumu.
In October 2023, the EACC flagged the Vihiga County Government following preliminary investigations that revealed over 40 ghost workers on the payroll, allegedly employed between 2013 and 2023. “The applicant’s preliminary findings have raised a reasonable suspicion that considering the respondent is not an employee of the County Government of Vihiga, the monies paid in the form of salaries amounts to corrupt conduct,” the EACC told the court.
Additionally, the High Court froze more than Ksh1.8 million belonging to a woman suspected of drawing a monthly salary from the Vihiga County Government despite not being an employee. Justice Nixon Sifuna granted the application to freeze the bank account for six months while the EACC investigates her conduct, prohibiting the suspect or her agents from withdrawing or transferring the money during this period.
Recent Comments