A government officer has been apprehended in Kakamega County for allegedly soliciting a bribe from a bereaved family to facilitate a succession case.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) confirmed the arrest of the senior Chief of Marama Central Location.
According to EACC officials, the chief was caught red-handed after receiving a Ksh8,000 down payment out of the Ksh10,000 he had demanded to issue a succession letter.
The document is a crucial requirement in inheritance processes, particularly when transferring property from a deceased individual to their next of kin.
The operation followed a complaint lodged by the affected family, who claimed the chief had withheld the letter until a bribe was paid. EACC detectives laid a trap that led to his arrest while in possession of the marked cash.
He is currently in custody and is expected to face corruption-related charges once investigations are concluded.
Meanwhile, EACC has revealed that police officers, national registration officials, chiefs, and medical workers are among the top recipients of bribes in Kenya’s public sector.
In its 2024 National Ethics and Corruption Survey released on Tuesday, the anti-graft agency identified officers from the police service, National Registration Bureau, provincial administration (chiefs and assistant chiefs), public hospitals, land registry, and immigration departments as the most frequently implicated in bribery cases.
The report noted that bribes were most commonly demanded before services were rendered, pointing to a systemic failure in public accountability and service delivery.
According to the findings, a staggering 99.5 per cent of bribes paid by respondents were in the form of cash, while a mere 0.5 per cent reported giving bribes in the form of food or drink.
Three out of every four respondents (75.6 per cent) admitted they were forced to pay bribes before receiving a service. Another 18.5 per cent said they paid the bribe during service delivery, while 3.1 per cent paid after receiving the service. A smaller proportion (2.8 per cent) indicated they paid bribes both before and after the service.
The survey also pointed out that bribery remains entrenched in routine services such as obtaining identity cards, medical attention, police protection, and land documentation.
