The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Sunday arrested a Senior Taita Taveta County Assembly official over alleged corruption.
Sources have informed Kenyans.co.ke, that the official is currently being escorted to the EACC Mombasa Regional Office for questioning.
The official in question is expected to face charges of embezzling funds, corruption and procurement irregularities from the Taita Taveta County Government, in 2022.
Further, the EACC has confirmed that it is in pursuit of the County Assembly clerk who is the accounting officer to face charges.
EACC exposed the irregularities in its 4th Quarterly Report, covering the Period from October 1- December 31 2023, showing that the county government officials, Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) and four (4) other officers incurred an expenditure of around Ksh7 million without following proper guidelines with regard to the edicts of the law on Public Finance at a bonding tour in Zanzibar in November 2022.
It is alleged that during the education tour to Zanzibar, the delegates received excess per diem while others were paid despite missing out on the trip.
"However, some delegates were paid excess per diem allowances which they were not entitled because accommodation had been provided while others were paid yet they had not travelled for various reasons", the report read.
"Further, it was established that the Clerk of Taita Taveta County Assembly, authorised payment voucher for full daily subsistence allowance to delegates whilst knowing that the delegates were not entitled to full daily subsistence allowance since their accommodation had been catered for", stated EACC.
Further reports elaborate that the investigations into the corruption charges reveal that there were irregularities in the procurement process with the service provider for catering services being individually sourced contrary to regulations.
"The procurement threshold was way above Ksh 500,000 and therefore it ought to have been reported to the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority by the Accounting Officer, stated the report.
Investigations into the case are still ongoing as the EACC moves to apprehend the other members of the County Assembly adversely mentioned in the corruption case.
Additionally, the county government is on the spot for embezzling funds for a Word War Commemoration event, where officials were paid Ksh4 million as Daily Subsistence Allowance.
