Nairobi: Kwale county head of treasury, brothers arrested over Ksh48.9m fraud

In a major breakthrough for the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the head of Kwale County Treasury and his four brothers have been apprehended on Tuesday, February 27, 2024, for alleged involvement in a complex web of corruption. The quintet is accused of fraudulently securing 10 contracts, amounting to Ksh48.9 million, for their family businesses, according to the latest update from the commission.

The EACC revealed that the brothers, who collectively own two companies, exploited their positions to engage in illicit deals with the Kwale County Government. These transactions, orchestrated through forged documents, covered the supply and delivery of sanitation materials, food and ration, general office supplies, and institutional appliances.

The contracts in question were purportedly awarded at inflated amounts of Ksh44.9 million and Ksh4 million to the two family companies. Subsequently, the ill-gotten gains were divided among the suspects. The county officials now face accusations of violating procurement laws, as they allegedly manipulated documents to unlawfully secure tenders for themselves.

The EACC has promptly transferred the five suspects from the Mombasa Central Police Station to the Mombasa Anti-Corruption Court, where they will be answering to the charges leveled against them.

In a separate development, EACC detectives also arrested Marsabit Central Ward Administrator Halkano Dabasso on Monday for forgery of academic certificates. Dabasso, with over six years of service, allegedly forged a Diploma in Community Development and Social Work from the Thika Institute of Business Studies and a KCSE Certificate from KNEC. He is set to face six counts, including fraudulent acquisition of public property and deceiving principal forgery.

The EACC’s latest actions follow a quarterly report published on February 23, which implicated a sitting MP and his two daughters in a list of individuals set for prosecution. Allegedly involved in procurement irregularities amounting to Ksh51.4 million, the MP is accused of leveraging his office to award tenders to his children, ostensibly for the construction of classrooms, event hosting, and roadworks in the constituency.