5 County Officials Arrested Over KES 13 Million Paid Out to Ghost Suppliers

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested five former high-ranking officials of Nyandarua County government over corruption-related charges.

The five are part of the eight ex-county officials who were under the radar of the anti-graft agency who, according to EACC, sanctioned illegal payments while in office. EACC detectives are currently in pursuit of three others who are still at large.

EACC says the former senior county officials including a former County Executive Committee (CEC) Member will be arraigned before the Nakuru Anti-Corruption Court on charges relating to fraudulent payment of public funds amounting to KES 13,000,000 for services not rendered.

“The suspects forged documents to pretend that the services were procured and delivered,” said EACC in a statement

Confirming the arrests, the Commission through its Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi revealed that the payments were made to six suppliers in a fraudulent scheme for a purported County Investment Conference, which was not held.

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Those arrested so far include; Rose Esther Muthoni Wamuiya – Former CEC Member, Trade and Cooperatives, Vincent Muiruri Wambui – Supply Chain Management Officer, Sophia Wairimu Karanja – Assistant Supply Chain Management Officer, Shadrack Kanyungo Ndirangu – Weight and Measures Officer, and IFMIS Accountant Timothy Ngunjiri Kiragu.

The suspects, who were contemporaneously arrested in Nyandarua, Nairobi, and Naivasha, this morning are currently held at EACC Nakuru Regional Offices and will later be detained at Nakuru Central Police Station pending arraignment before Nakuru Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday 1 February 2024.

The Commission says the three suspects at large, namely; Simon Mwangi Nganga – Former CEC Member, Water and Environment, Daniel Kamua Muguko – Chief Officer, Trade, and Regina Wairimu Wacira – Chief Co-op Auditor are making attempts to evade arrest by going into hiding. They have been asked to immediately report to the EACC Nyeri Regional Office or the nearest EACC Office for processing.

Investigation into the activities of the eight commenced following receipt of allegations in 2018 that senior officials of Nyandarua County Government conspired to make illegal and irregular payments for services allegedly offered towards the County Investors’ Conference which did not take place.