EACC Seeks to Recover Ksh 21M From 9 Prisons Officers in Procurement Scam

Kenya Prisons Service officers during a past parade
Kenya Prisons Service officers during a past parade.
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The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission - EACC is investigating how nine civil servants embezzled Ksh21 million.

In a statement dated October 5, the nine officials reportedly colluded with a private company to execute a procurement scam in the State Department of Correctional Services.

The anti-graft body explained that the fraud scheme was carried out through procurement documents, including requisition forms, Local Purchase Orders (LPO), delivery notes, inspection and acceptance certificates, and Invoices which were used to support payment vouchers.

The Twalib Mbarak-led commission, in their statement, noted that the goods in question were not supplied.

EACC center, Nairobi
A photo of the EACC headquarters, at Integrity House in Nairobi.
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EACC

"Payment vouchers as supported by the falsified documents were then used by the above-mentioned public officers at the State Department of Correctional Services to effect payments amounting to Ksh21 million were not supplied," EACC stated.

"EACC notes that despite the stringent and multiple stages of authentication and approval of payments in Government financial expenditure, cases of individual public officers embezzling huge amounts of public funds continue to thrive. This points to possible collusion, connivance or abdication of duty by Accounting Officers," the commission added.

According to the anti-graft agency, the nine officials and the mentioned company have refused to refund the money. EACC is now seeking orders to seize their properties and reclaim the said amount.

The commission further decried efforts by some government officials blocking their efforts to get to the bottom of the matter and recover the looted funds.

This comes days after EACC opened probe into a tender scam involving the Siaya county government. This is after whistleblowers exposed how Ksh400 million was misappropriated by county executives.

Following the expose, Siaya Governor James Orengo formed a team to audit the financial reports and help EACC to prosecute those found culpable of orchestrating the loot.

"Today I have officially unveiled the taskforce on Siaya County Systems Audit and Governance Reforms. The mandate of the audit will include an evaluation, assessment and determination of the county's human resource establishment and revenue administration, Orengo stated.

Orengo appointed former Auditor General Edward Ouko to lead the taskforce. Others included former Prime Minister Raila Odinga strategists Prof Adams Oloo, Grace Ongile, Bella Akinyi, Peter Joseph Okoth, Jared Buoga and Leonard Okanda.

Siaya Governor and Senior Counsel James Orengo giving his submissions at the Supreme Court on August 31, 2022
Siaya Governor, Senior Counsel James Orengo giving his submissions at the Supreme Court on August 31, 2022
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