Kitui County Chief Officer Arrested for Awarding Relatives Ksh.17M in County Contracts
2 min read
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a senior Kitui County official and five company directors over an alleged procurement scandal involving Ksh.17.4 million.
According to the anti-graft agency, the Chief Officer in charge of Agriculture and Fisheries, Gladys Mami Kivoto, is accused of using companies linked to her relatives to win county contracts.
Investigators claim that five companies received about Ksh.14 million from Kitui County between the 2018/2019 and 2024/2025 financial years. The companies are alleged to have benefited from contracts awarded through a conflict of interest.
EACC says investigations found that some of the company directors are close relatives of the chief officer. The commission also claims that financial records showed money transactions between Kivoto and directors of some of the companies under investigation.
After completing investigations, EACC forwarded the case to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved criminal charges against several suspects.
The suspects are expected to face charges that include:
- Conflict of interest
- Abuse of office
- Money laundering
- Acquiring proceeds of crime
- Corrupt procurement practices
Those arrested include Gladys Mami Kivoto, Josephine Mwikali Wambua, Mary Mueni Mbiti, Jonathan Kivondo Kieti and Onesmus Munyao Nzioka, among others.
EACC has also asked three other suspects who are yet to be arrested to report to its Lower Eastern Regional Office in Machakos or the nearest EACC office.
The commission said it remains committed to protecting public funds and ensuring anyone involved in corruption or economic crimes is held accountable.
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