More heads to roll in anti-graft crusade

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Chairman Eliud Wabukala. The EACC has completed investigations into 183 cases. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • EACC recovered Sh3.6 billion worth of assets corruptly acquired, out of the Sh3.9 billion worth of recovery suits filed.
  • One of the high-profile cases that might see senior officials dragged to court soon is that of alleged tax evasion at the National Youth Service.

More heads are expected to roll in the anti-graft crusade after the anti-corruption commission concluded investigations into 183 cases.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s recent pronouncements show he is keen to leave a legacy on the war against the vice, forcing the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to spare no one.

"A total of 183 files on corruption and economic crimes were finalised and submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP); of these, 135 were recommended for prosecution, 14 for administrative action, and 34 for closure. Forty-nine cases were finalised in court resulting in 39 convictions and 10 acquittals,” the commission said in its 2017/2018 annual report.

It added that it had recovered Sh3.6 billion worth of assets corruptly acquired, out of the Sh3.9 billion worth of recovery suits filed.

It also disrupted corruption networks, saying this had saved the country Sh19 billion in the past five years.

RUARAKA LAND

One of the high-profile cases that might see senior officials dragged to court soon is that of alleged tax evasion at the National Youth Service. It involves an unnamed private firm that signed a contract with the NYS.

Another case involves allegations of irregular compensation regarding land on which Ruaraka High School and Drive-In Primary School sit, involving the National Land Commission and the Ministry of Education. The amount involved is Sh3.2 billion.

Detectives have been investigating the compulsory acquisition of land in a city suburb for the two schools, and believe the payments were fraudulent because the land in question belonged to the State.