Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok has been arrested after being questioned by officials at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) headquarters.
Barchok was taken into custody on Monday, September 1, following a grilling session with investigators.
After the session, the governor was transferred to Kilimani Police Station where he is set to spend the night in custody.
He is expected to be arraigned in court on Tuesday, September 2, to face corruption charges.
The Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Renson Ingonga, on Thursday, August 28, approved corruption charges against Barchok following investigations by EACC.
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The ODPP consented to charges, including conflict of interest, money laundering, unlawful acquisition of public property, and acquisition of proceeds of crime.
The allegations revolve around financial transactions between Barchok and firms that conducted business with the Bomet County Government.
Specifically, it is alleged that he received approximately Ksh2.75 million from those firms over the 2019/2020 to 2024/2025 financial years.
The ODPP indicated the case stems from inquiries into procurement fraud, misappropriation of funds, and conflicts of interest in county government operations.
The prosecution is not solely against Barchok, also named is Evans Kipkoech Korir, director of Chemasus Construction Limited.
"The EACC recommended that Governor Hillary Kipng’eno Barchok and Evans Kipkoech Korir, the Director of Chemasus Construction Limited, be arraigned in court," the DPP statement read.
In the wake of the ODPP’s decision, Barchok sought court intervention under a certificate of urgency to halt his arrest and prosecution claiming the allegations were baseless and politically motivated, and the payments were legitimate lease agreements unrelated to his office.
However, the High Court declined to suspend the prosecution with Justice Bahati Mwamuye directed Barchok to formally serve the petition to the respondents and scheduled a mention for October 7 to provide further directions on an expedited hearing.
The judge also ordered that responses be filed by close of business on September 19.
Elsewhere, former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati was also arrested alongside 10 others following a grilling session at the EACC headquarters.
The group was transported to Kilimani Police Station, where they were placed in custody.
According to footage seen by Nairobileo.co.ke, Wangamati and his co-accused were escorted onto an EACC bus after the questioning session and driven to the station.
Upon arrival, they were seen alighting from the bus before being led into the cells.
The former county boss and his co-accused are expected to be arraigned in court to face charges linked to corruption.
