Four members of the Gatundu North NG-CDF Committee have been arrested over allegations of extorting Ksh300,000 from a contractor in exchange for approving a pending payment of Ksh9.1 million.
In a statement on Thursday, February 26, the arrests were carried out on Wednesday, February 25, by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) following an undercover operation.
"Those arrested are Annah Mugure Njoroge, Susan Wanjiru Muchiri, Stephen Waititu Mungai and James Kibe Ngige. The Commission received a report that the officials had demanded the bribe to authorize payment for completed works at Karure Primary School," the statement read.
EACC further detailed the projects undertaken by the complainant and the timeline leading up to the alleged demand for a bribe.
"According to preliminary investigations, the contractor had undertaken three projects: construction of a modern kitchen at Karure Primary School, levelling and landscaping works, and uplifting and general renovation of an administration block and six classrooms. The works were completed on 31 January 2026, after which the contractor formally requested payment," the statement added.
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EACC stated that the payment was allegedly withheld despite completion of the works, setting the stage for the extortion claims.
"However, the four committee members allegedly blocked the payment, citing unnamed unresolved issues. On 23 February 2026, the complainant met three of the suspects, who reportedly demanded Kes300,000 in order not to raise objections to the payment," the statement continued.
The agency explained that the suspects were arrested during a sting operation where they received Ksh250,000 from the contractor.
"EACC mounted an operation on 25 February 2026, which led to the arrest of the suspects at Karure Primary School as they received Ksh250,000 from the contractor. They were escorted to the Integrity Centre for processing and later booked at Kilimani Police Station," the statement concluded.
The suspects were subsequently released on cash bail of Ksh40,000 each pending completion of investigations.
This comes days after EACC detectives arrested Garissa Member of County Assembly (MCA) Mohamud Dubow Korane and two former county officials in connection with fraudulent payments amounting to Ksh51,495,516.
In a statement on Monday, February 23, EACC said the three suspects were arrested on Sunday, February 22 and are scheduled to be arraigned before the Garissa Law Courts for plea taking.
The other two suspects are Mohamud Dubow Korane, former Director of Accounting Services in Garissa County, and Yussuf Bethe Ali, former Senior Principal Economist in Garissa County.
According to EACC, the fraudulent payments were made to Qorjarey Enterprise and General Supplies Limited for goods and services that were never delivered.
"The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested three senior officials of the County Government of Garissa to be arraigned before Court over fraudulent payments amounting to Ksh51,495,516 made to a private company, namely Qorjarey Enterprise and General Supplies Limited, for goods and services not delivered during the financial years 2021/2022 and 2022-2023," EACC stated.
The commission observed that the payments were made for the supply of emergency relief food items and water trucking services, which were not delivered to the Garissa County Government.
Investigations established that Qorjarey Enterprise and General Supplies Limited was not pre-qualified as a supplier for the financial years 2021/2022 and 2022/202,3 and documents were forged to facilitate and support the irregular payments.
Korane and Ali were also found to have processed and approved the payments without following procurement procedures.
"Upon conclusion of investigations, the Commission forwarded the investigation file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who upon independent review, concurred with EACC’s recommendation to charge the three suspects," EACC stated.
