EACC Cracks Down on Lands Officer in Ksh100,000 Bribery Case

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested and arraigned a clerical officer attached to the Uasin Gishu Lands Office over allegations of soliciting and receiving a Ksh100,000 bribe to facilitate the subdivision of land.

In a statement on Monday, June 8, the anti-graft agency said the suspect, Noah Kipkemboi Rotich, was presented before court on bribery-related charges following investigations into complaints lodged by a member of the public.

EACC said the arrest stemmed from allegations that the officer had demanded money in exchange for assisting with a land subdivision process.

"The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested and arraigned a clerical officer attached to the Uasin Gishu Lands Office over allegations of soliciting and receiving a bribe to facilitate the subdivision of land.

"The accused, Noah Kipkemboi Rotich, was presented before court today and charged with receiving a bribe contrary to the Bribery Act, 2016," the statement read.

EACC said investigations were launched after a complaint was received from a member of the public, with detectives subsequently establishing that the suspect had sought Ksh100,000 and received part of the amount.

"The case arose from a complaint received by the Commission alleging that Rotich had demanded a bribe to facilitate the subdivision process. Investigations established that he had solicited Kes100,000 from the complainant and received part of the bribe," the statement added.

After concluding its investigations, EACC forwarded the file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions for review and action.

"Following completion of investigations, EACC forwarded the case file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved the prosecution," the statement further read.

According to EACC, Rotich was granted a cash bail of Ksh30,000 or, alternatively, a bond of Ksh100,000 pending the hearing and determination of the case.

This comes days after EACC arrested a senior official at the Nyamira County Assembly over alleged procurement irregularities tied to a tender for the construction of an office block.

In a statement on Wednesday, June 3, EACC said the arrest followed investigations and approval of charges by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP)

"The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested the Clerk of the Nyamira County Assembly, Duke Simeon Onyari, over alleged procurement irregularities in the award of a tender for the construction of an office block at the County Assembly of Nyamira," the statement read.

EACC said the arrests stemmed from investigations into claims that the procurement process for the project was improperly handled, resulting in unfair selection of a contractor.

"The arrests follow investigations into allegations of the irregular award of Tender No. CAN/T/027/2017-2021 to Jetta Builders Ltd, despite the company not being the lowest evaluated bidder," the statement added.

According to the agency, the decision to award the tender allegedly caused significant financial loss to the public through inflated costs.

"The investigation established that the decision unlawfully conferred a financial benefit of Ksh30,187,396 to the contractor, resulting in a corresponding loss of public funds," the statement noted.

Following completion of investigations, the file was forwarded to the ODPP, which approved criminal charges against several officials, including senior administrative and technical staff at the County Assembly.

Upon arrest, Onyari was taken to the EACC South Nyanza Regional Office in Kisii for processing ahead of court proceedings.