GARISSA, Kenya- The Ethics and Anti‑Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a sitting member of the county assembly and two former senior officials in Garissa County in connection with the alleged fraudulent payment of Sh51.4 million from county coffers.
In an operation on Sunday, EACC detectives detained Abdi Ibrahim Daar, the MCA for Balambala Ward, Mohamud Dubow Korane, former Director of Accounting Services for the Garissa County Government, and Yussuf Bethe Ali, former Senior Principal Economist with the county administration.
According to charge sheets dated February 23, the trio is accused of conspiring to commit corruption by facilitating fraudulent payments totalling Sh51,495,253 to a private supplier for goods and services that were allegedly never procured or delivered to the County Government of Garissa.
Investigators say the irregular payments were processed through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), the government platform used for managing public finances.
PRESS RELEASE- EACC ARRESTS THREE SENIOR GARISSA COUNTY OFFICIALS OVER KES 51.4 MILLION FRAUDULENT PAYMENTS
Korane is alleged to have authorised multiple payments, including amounts of more than Sh10.8 million and Sh12.9 million, to the same company in late June 2022 for non-existent supplies.
Yussuf Bethe Ali is accused of raising several invoices in April and May 2022 to facilitate other unauthorised payments, while MCA Daar faces charges including forgery of tender and award documents meant to support the payments.
The suspects spent the night in custody and were scheduled to be arraigned at Garissa Law Courts on Monday morning for plea taking.
The arrests form part of the EACC’s intensified efforts to clamp down on corruption and misuse of public funds at both national and county government levels, as the anti-graft agency continues investigations into similar cases across the country.
