The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) conducted a series of raids on Thursday targeting the offices and residences of officials from Vihiga County assembly.
The operation was part of an extensive probe into alleged multi-million graft within the county.
The focal points of the investigative operations were the Vihiga County Assembly offices and residences associated with two high-ranking officials.
Joab Ambaka Kilinga, the County Assembly Clerk, faced scrutiny at his residences in Kisumu and Kakamega. Similarly, Oscar Jagona Miyinzi, the Principal Finance Officer, had his residences in Vihiga and Eldoret targeted.
“The Commission arrested the two officials in Kisumu and Eldoret respectively and escorted them to the county offices to facilitate retrieval of documents,” EACC said in a statement.
The commission has been delving into allegations of extensive corruption within the County Assembly, including the misappropriation of over KES 200 million allocated for Mortgage and Car Loan Funds.
Senior officials, including County Assembly Speaker Christopher Omulele, MCAs, and staff, are implicated in these allegations.
The EACC’s investigations also touch on an imprest fraud amounting to KES 100 million, involving ‘ghost’ trips and fictitious activities that never took place.
Further, the probe highlights a conflict of interest, revealing that senior County Assembly officials are primary suppliers of goods and services to the assembly.
The irregular payments for undelivered goods and services have added to the web of corruption under scrutiny.
The backdrop to these investigations dates back to September 2023 when the Senate Public Accounts Committee declared Vihiga County Assembly a crime scene due to reported financial malpractices.
The Senate Committee initiated an interrogation of County Assembly officials based on concerns raised by the Auditor General’s report.
The Senate referred the identified financial violations to the EACC for a thorough investigation.
The search operations, conducted with the court’s sanction, have yielded crucial evidential materials that will contribute to the ongoing probe.
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