The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has exposed a web of systemic corruption within both national and county governments, raising concerns over the slow pace of justice in high-profile graft cases. In its latest report, the anti-graft body paints a grim picture of widespread fraud involving fake academic certificates, questionable tenders, bribery, and abuse of office.
Despite submitting 44 investigation files to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) between January and March this year, only four have been approved for prosecution.
The remaining files have either been returned for further investigation, recommended for closure, or are still pending—an alarming trend that underscores deep delays in accountability.
Among the unresolved cases is one involving a former senior Sports ministry official and a foreign company accused of awarding a Sh9.5 billion stadium tender through direct procurement, bypassing procurement laws.
County governments are also implicated in the rot, including Baringo County where officials allegedly rigged tender evaluations to award a multimillion-shilling contract to an undeserving bidder, and Nyandarua County, where a branding tender worth Sh13.5 million was reportedly awarded to a company linked to a county official’s relative.
The rot has also reached the education and health sectors. At the Kenya Medical Training College, employees are alleged to have used fake academic certificates to secure jobs and promotions, with one reportedly earning Sh3.7 million using a forged nursing diploma.
In Nairobi, the City Water and Sewerage Company is under scrutiny after it emerged that several employees used forged KCSE certificates to secure jobs, with one individual allegedly pocketing Sh15 million over a decade under false pretenses.
The report further reveals that bribery remains rampant in day-to-day operations of public service, including cases where a police officer at Capitol Hill allegedly demanded a bribe of Sh4,000 to release an impounded motorcycle, and a Makadara court clerk who is said to have taken Sh50,000 to expedite a legal matter.
The EACC warns that the misuse of direct procurement to avoid competitive bidding is enabling massive corruption. The commission has recommended charges in several of the cases, including forgery, abuse of office, and fraudulent practices.
However, with the DPP yet to act decisively on most files, the agency is raising red flags about the state’s capacity and will to combat corruption.
