The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has petitioned the government to relieve a senior official implicated in a probable corruption case of his duties pending the probe, which seems to indicate that the government is increasingly concerned with the management of funds.
In a letter dated January 12, 2026, the commission wrote to Gender Cabinet Secretary Hanna Cheptumo, recommending the six-month suspension of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) Chief Executive Officer to allow the investigations to go on uninterrupted.
The letter, signed by the EACC CEO Abdi A. Mohamud, states that the official has already been invited by the investigators for interrogation over alleged breaches of Chapter Six of the Constitution. This chapter outlines the guidelines for integrity in leadership. Various laws are also under scrutiny in the matter. They include Anti-Graft & Economic Crimes Act, Proceedings of Crime & Anti-Money Laundering Act, and the Public Procurement & Asset Disposal Act.
“In order to ensure that the aforementioned investigations are not hampered, we recommend that the aforementioned officer be suspended from service for a period of six months from the receipt of this letter until the completion of our investigation,” the commission said in the letter.
According to the EACC, the charges against the CEO of the NGAAF are serious. They include unexplained wealth, misuse of office, conflict of interest, and money laundering.
The commission indicated that the searches were carried out by the commission’s detectives at the residential and office premises of the suspect on January 8, 2026, where documents and information considered to be incriminating were obtained. The operation was part of an investigation related to graft, tender irregularities, as well as unexplained wealth amounting to approximately KSh1 billion.
EACC explained the law provides a legal framework for the temporary suspension of a public officer who is accused of grave allegations pending the investigations. The body cited sections of the Leadership and Integrity Act Regulations, as well as the Public Service Code of Conduct and Ethics. According to the law, a suspended officer receives half pay until the end of investigations into the allegations against him or her.
It is also being investigated whether procurement fraud is connected to the individual’s past position as Head of Procurement in the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC), which gives the investigation an even broader focus than before. The latest events come on the back of a search operation conducted at the Gender ministry, emphasizing a quick prosecution of this case by the commission. As events unfold, focus shifts to the Gender ministry and whether the proposed suspension will actually take effect in an attempt to facilitate what EACC terms an independent and free-from-interference investigation.
