Garissa governor breaks silence after EACC raid
By Arnold Ngure, June 17, 2024
Garissa County Governor Nathif Jama has broken his silence days after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) conducted an operation in the county.
Speaking to press members after prayers during Eid ul Adha, Jama expressed concerns about what he termed as misinformation surrounding the EACC raid in the county.
“There has been rumours regarding the operation that was undertaken by the EACC. I want to tell the people of Garissa that it is quite normal for the EACC to undertake such kinds of operations,” Jama noted.
“On the same day that the operation was undertaken in Garissa, six other counties also had such operations and we will cooperate with EACC whenever such cooperation may be required of us.”
The governor took issue with youth from Garissa County, saying that they were shaming the county by “fabricating issues on social media and photoshopping things to scare people”.
“My request to these young people is to really focus on what matters and let them write things that are logical and truthful,” Jama appealed.
Garissa governor refutes rumors following EACC operation pic.twitter.com/W2TBHrCAyi
— K24 TV (@K24Tv) June 17, 2024
EACC raid
On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the anti-graft agency said it had conducted a successful operation on senior officials of Garissa County concerning the suspected embezzlement of funds.
The anti-corruption body also stated that the eight individuals are currently under investigation for the suspected embezzlement of funds in excess of Ksh1 billion.
“The Wednesday, June 12, 2024, operation yielded valuable evidentiary material that will support the ongoing investigation,” EACC stated on X.
In their report, the anti-corruption agency believes the officials involved in the suspected embezzlement were directly and indirectly trading with the County Government through companies owned by themselves, close family members and associates.
EACC further stated that the operation was part of an ongoing investigation following a court order obtained to pursue the senior county staff, their proxies and companies associated with them that were used to embezzle public funds from the Garissa County coffers.
The anti-corruption body revealed that upon completing the investigations, the outcome will inform appropriate actions which may include prosecution of the suspects and recovery of the stolen public funds.
The anti-corruption body appealed to residents of Garissa County to report any information concerning the raid in the Wednesday statement.
“The residents of Garissa County who may have any information on the misappropriation of public funds at the County are called upon to volunteer such information in confidence to the Commission through the anonymous reporting system in the EACC website,” EACC said.
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