EACC has revealed that nine county governors are currently under investigation over corruption allegations.
EACC Chairperson David Oginde said on Monday that the commission is pursuing the cases at various stages, describing the scale of graft in devolved units as alarming.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, he warned that graft in counties has reached levels that threaten governance and service delivery.
“Graft is really bad in the country. That is where it starts, then it goes down to the counties. As some people have said, it seems like what we did was devolve graft,” Oginde said.
He disclosed that the investigations are not limited to governors but also target other senior and junior county officials.
“Unfortunately, we are pursuing quite a number of governors at the moment, nine governors, under scrutiny at different levels of their cases, which is a very high percentage. And it is not just governors; it goes all the way down to other staff in the counties,” he noted.
Oginde cited a recent case in Nairobi where a junior county officer was found pursuing Ksh500 million, questioning how such a huge amount could be associated with a low-ranking official. “How do you even explain that? You know, in that county?” he posed.
The EACC boss reiterated the commission’s commitment to intensifying the campaign against graft in both national and county governments. He also accused leaders in marginalised counties of diverting development funds to personal businesses in Nairobi.
Oginde stated that, despite large budgets, essential services such as water and roads remain neglected due to rigged tenders and manipulated procurement, which fuels public mistrust.
According to the anti-graft boss, most of the commission’s work currently focuses on county governments, where he said graft has proven to be widespread.
“Graft is widespread across counties, particularly in sectors such as water. Surprisingly, marginalised counties, which are meant to benefit the most, often see leaders siphoning funds to Nairobi instead of improving local services,” he said.
Oginde noted that challenges such as poor water supply and dilapidated roads persist despite the availability of funds.
“This is fueled by the ‘strongman syndrome,’ where a few individuals control procurement, rig tenders, and divert money through inflated contracts. Junior staff are then used to process false claims quickly. The system suffers because those in charge prioritise personal gain over public service,” he stated.
