The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) arrested Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok for allegedly embezzling Sh1.4 billion in county funds.

Barchok eight other senior county officials and two contractors are under investigation for conflict of interest and theft of public funds through fraudulent payment of Sh1,451,882,576 to suppliers and contractors, some of whom are senior employees of the county government.

The accused were released after the questioning.

The EACC said last evening they will call the accused next week for more questioning. On his part, Governor Barchok said that it was a routine process by State agencies to put to account State officials.

“The payments were made for works and services not rendered,” EACC chief executive Abdi Mohamed said yesterday.

The EACC detectives yesterday morning raided the residence of Barchok as part of the ongoing investigation into allegations of conflict of interest and public fund theft in Bomet county, in which he is the main suspect.

The governor was arrested after the sleuth raided his home in the Kapjames area in the Bomet East sub-county before being brought to the county headquarters offices for an evidence mission.

The EACC boss said the operation was undertaken in various premises linked to the suspects in Nairobi and Bomet counties pursuant to court orders.

At one point his supporters who got wind of his arrests stormed the county offices and tried to block his transfer to Nakuru but the EACC officials and the local police officers were firm.

Barchok becomes the first governor in Kenya Kwanza government to be arrested on corruption claims. Barchok trouble started last in October  when the detectives conducted a similar operation.

The officers raided the home of senior officials in the county over a corruption scandal over suspicious procurement of Sh373 million construction equipment.

The crackdown targeted the county executive committee (CEC), chief officers and other staff at a time when President William Ruto was attending a function at AGC Tenwek.

The governor was later escorted to the EACC South Rift Regional Offices in Nakuru for statement recording.

In November last year, a group of Bomet lawmakers called on the EACC to investigate the Governor for alleged misappropriation of county funds.

At the time, the EACC was probing eight Bomet County officials over alleged embezzlement of Sh1.5 billion.

Fraudulent payments

EACC was targeting CECs, Chief Officers, and senior county officers, over the embezzlement in fraudulent payments to companies allegedly owned by unnamed County officials.

Various legislators had put a lot of pressure and singled out a case of mismanagement of various hospitals that allegedly led to the death of a three-year-old patient due to negligence at Longisa Hospital.

Following the numerous cases of corruption, the county legislatures urged the EACC to take action against the governor and county executive officers. The EACC then launched investigations into the misuse of Sh373 million in public funds.

The probe focused on accusations of theft, conflict of interest, and procurement fraud related to the acquisition of heavy road construction equipment and trucks. To aid in the investigations, the EACC asked for a variety of financial and procurement documents from the county secretary.

“Kindly provide us with the following original documents: approved budget for FY 2022/23 and 2023/24; approved procurement plan for FY 2022/23 and 2023/24; procurement requisition; approved memo-seeking approval advertisement,” stated EACC South Rift Regional Manager Ignatius Wekesa in a letter dated July 30.

A resident of Bomet, through his lawyer, also wrote to the EACC saying the Count may not have adhered to essential procurement procedures and may have acquired the machinery valued at millions of shillings without due regard for established laws and prescribed procurement protocols.

The resident Stanley W. Maina, in a letter dated November 1, 2023, through John Allan Mulama Advocates, made a complaint to EACC over the alleged unlawful acquisition of plant machinery by the county government.

Maina had also requested documentary evidence substantiating that the acquisition of the aforementioned machinery was incorporated into the approved County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and Annual Development Plan.

Also sought were copies of duly approved procurement plan and departmental plan that demonstrate the County’s intent to acquire the machinery; detailed minutes from the procurement committees encompassing both the opening and evaluation stages if such committees were convened; and a copy of contract executed between the County Government and the supplier of the machinery.