EACC Probing 21 Current, Former Governors for Graft

21 current and former governors are being looked into by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for corruption and economic offences.

Investigations are being conducted into current and former county executives for misappropriation of public funds, conflicts of interest, fraud in procurement, payroll fraud mostly involving ghost employees, false pending bills, and flagrant contempt for laws governing financial management.

The investigations are in various phases, and when they are concluded, files will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) with the proper recommendations, said the commission’s spokesperson Eric Ngumbi.

Ngumbi also denied claims that the investigations into former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya were politically motivated.

He asserted that the EACC will continue to conduct its investigations independently, impartially, professionally, and in compliance with the law because it is a law enforcement agency and not a political party.

Read: EACC Probe Meant To Intimidate Me into Joining Gov’t – Oparanya

He also denounced the accusations made by Azimio la Umoja coalition leaders as unsubstantiated, distracting, and false because the EACC is committed to holding accountable everyone implicated in the theft of public funds, regardless of their status or political affiliation.

He asked politicians to stop the practice of politicizing its work which continues to be a major obstacle in the fight against corruption, and to stop launching political attacks on institutions whenever they are held to account for allegations of wrongdoing.

In the EACC Quarterly Report published in the Kenya Gazette on August 11, the Commission said it had submitted files to the DPP recommending prosecution of Kakamega Governor Fernades Barasa and former Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu over graft.