The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has 9 governors on its radar over corruption cases as it intensifies its crackdown on nationwide graft.
EACC chairperson Dr. David Oginde said on Tuesday that the commission is probing counties plagued by corruption as governors lead the pack in siphoning county funds.
“We are pursuing quite a number of Governors at the moment 9 are under scrutiny at different levels of the cases. It’s not just Governors, it goes down to other county staff,” he told Citizen TV.
“Counties are what are keeping us busy right now.”
Dr. Oginde further intimated that some of the graft-linked counties are those belonging to marginalized communities, adding that elected leaders steal county funds to invest them in Nairobi.
He said that the appetite for county funds has severely crippled development in the aforesaid counties.
“I have been surprised that some of the worst-hit counties are those that are considered marginalized. They have been given privileges to try and bring the county up but the leaders in those counties are syphoning that money and bringing it back to Nairobi to buy apartments and start businesses,” he noted.
He added that investigations have revealed a system in counties where top leaders are using junior officers as conduits of transferring the monies to their accounts.
Some of the avenues used to loot money include tendering, where individuals create companies to do business with the counties while inflating prices.
Dr. Oginde said that the commission is however, challenged by the political shielding of individuals found to be corrupt, making it hard to prosecute them.
“We have had situations where we arrest senior people and even the day they are coming to record statements, our offices are raided by their supporters,” he said.
He added that politicizing corruption has hindered the fight against the vice for eons.
