The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested two instructors at the Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT) in Kisii after uncovering a bribery racket that allegedly forced students to pay to pass their plant operation test-drive exams.
The scheme, which investigators believe has been running for years, targeted students pursuing plant operation courses. According to EACC, instructors in the department demanded a KSh3,100 “facilitation fee” from every candidate preparing to sit the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) practical exams.
Those who could not raise the money were reportedly marked as “failures” even before attempting the test denying them certification, job opportunities, and in some cases, pushing them to drop out altogether.
Investigations further showed that some students who paid the bribe were awarded passing marks and certificates without undergoing the actual NTSA-administered driving tests. The money collected was allegedly shared between the instructors and NTSA examiners stationed at the centre.
EACC says the two instructors at the heart of the scheme ran parallel fee systems, collecting bribes in cash and operating outside official college regulations. In some cases, students were even allowed to pay school fees directly to the instructors, either in cash or through their personal mobile money accounts, instead of the official KIHBT pay bill number.
“Students who opt to pay directly through the unlawful route to the instructors are charged KSh40,000 instead of the mandatory KSh65,000,” EACC noted.
A financial analysis by investigators revealed just how lucrative the scheme had become: in the past three years, one instructor moved over KSh34 million through two mobile money lines, while the other handled transactions worth about KSh8 million. Investigators believe a significant portion of these funds are proceeds of bribery and diverted school fees.
During the coordinated operation on November 28, EACC officers conducted simultaneous searches at the campus, the instructors’ homes, and the residences of NTSA officials linked to the scheme. One of the suspects was arrested after officers recovered KSh171,000 in cash hidden in an envelope inside his jacket.
The suspect was taken to Kisii Police Station for processing and is expected to undergo further interrogation as investigators comb through documents and digital evidence seized during the raid.
EACC says it will forward the completed investigation file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), which will determine whether the instructors and any implicated NTSA officials will face criminal charges.
The operation marks one of the strongest moves yet to dismantle entrenched corruption in training institutions that qualify heavy-equipment operators a sector critical to Kenya’s construction and transport industries.
