The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) announced it had launched an extensive investigation into what it describes as a bribery and extortion scheme involving instructors at the Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT) Kisii Campus and examiners from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
The probe intensified on Friday after EACC detectives, armed with court-issued search warrants, conducted simultaneous raids at the KIHBT Kisii Campus and the residences of three officials from KIHBT and NTSA.
The operation followed a series of reports accusing instructors in the Plant Operation Department of demanding bribes from students scheduled to sit for test-drive examinations.
According to EACC, students were allegedly required to pay a “facilitation fee” of Sh3,100 to secure a passing grade in the NTSA-administered driving tests. Investigators believe those who refused to pay were automatically failed. In some cases, students reportedly received passing marks and certificates without taking the practical exams at all.
Preliminary findings point to a syndicate allegedly run by two KIHBT instructors — Philip Dawa and Fidel Omondi — who are suspected of collecting cash and sharing proceeds with collaborating NTSA examiners. The Commission also reports that the instructors had been soliciting tuition fees directly from students, despite regulations requiring all payments to go through the institution’s official pay bill system.
While the official tuition fee is Sh65,000 plus a Sh1,050 registration charge, students who paid instructors directly were reportedly charged Sh40,000, with the money paid through cash, personal mobile phone numbers, or proxies.
Financial records analyzed by investigators show that over the past three years, Dawa allegedly transacted more than Sh34 million through M-Pesa using two mobile numbers, while Omondi is said to have moved Sh8 million over the same period.
During Friday’s operation, EACC officers arrested Fidel Omondi and recovered Sh171,000 in cash found in an envelope inside his jacket. Additional evidence was seized for forensic analysis.
Omondi was processed at the Kisii Police Station and is expected to face charges once investigations are concluded.
The EACC urged members of the public to continue reporting corrupt activities, reiterating its resolve to dismantle bribery networks in public institutions and safeguard service delivery integrity across the country.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@Kahawatungu.com — this is our only official communication channel
