Public officers using families to embezzle funds, warns EACC

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has raised concerns over a worrying trend in which public officials are enlisting family members to facilitate the theft of public funds.

During the release of the 2023/24 annual report on Tuesday, EACC Chairperson David Oginde condemned the practice, saying that it undermines the family’s role in fostering integrity and ethics.

“We have observed a growing pattern where public officials involve their family members—children, spouses—as proxies to steal from the public. They create fictitious companies to tender for government contracts and divert funds into private accounts,” said Oginde. 

He added, “The unfortunate reality is that when the law catches up, entire families have been arrested, which is not a good look.”

The report outlined the Commission’s efforts to recover assets obtained through corruption.

In the 2023/24 Financial Year, EACC reclaimed assets worth approximately Sh2.9 billion through 11 proactive investigations. Further, 47 new lawsuits were filed to recover assets valued at Sh9.2 billion.

The Commission also processed 5,171 corruption reports, of which 2,207 fell within its mandate. These reports were categorized as follows: 42 per cent related to bribery, 13 per cent to embezzlement or misappropriation of public funds, 12 per cent to unethical conduct, 11 per cent to fraudulent acquisition or disposal of public property, and 22 per cent linked to other offenses.

In addition, the EACC conducted 145 random and targeted integrity tests across various public institutions, including the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), Port Health Services, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), National Police Service (NPS), Ministry of Lands Registries, Kericho Referral Hospital, National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA), Kenya National Highways Authority weighbridges, and Nairobi City County Government.

Of the officers tested, 130 failed, five passed, and 10 results were inconclusive. For those who failed, the EACC recommended administrative action to their respective institutions. 
Cases that met criminal thresholds were referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for further action.