A senior government official has been arrested in Kakamega County for allegedly demanding a bribe from a grieving family in order to assist them with a succession case.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) confirmed that the arrested individual is the area Chief of Marama Central Location.
According to EACC officers, the chief was caught in the act after he received a Ksh8,000 bribe — which was part of the total Ksh10,000 he had allegedly asked for in exchange for issuing a succession letter.
This letter plays an important role in inheritance processes, especially in helping transfer property or assets from a deceased person to their rightful heirs.
The arrest was made after the affected family reported the matter to the EACC, claiming that the chief had refused to issue the letter unless he was paid a bribe.
Acting on the complaint, EACC detectives organized a sting operation and managed to arrest the chief while he was still in possession of the marked money.
The suspect is currently being held in custody and is expected to be charged in court with corruption-related offenses once investigations are complete.
At the same time, the EACC has raised concerns about widespread bribery in various sectors of the public service. In its latest 2024 National Ethics and Corruption Survey, released on Tuesday, the commission revealed that police officers, national registration officials, chiefs, and health workers are among the public servants most frequently mentioned in corruption cases.
The survey, which aimed to measure the extent of corruption in Kenya’s public institutions, found that corruption is most prevalent in the police force, the National Registration Bureau, local administrative offices (including chiefs and assistant chiefs), public hospitals, land offices, and immigration departments.
According to the report, many bribes are demanded before any service is delivered, highlighting a major weakness in accountability and transparency in public offices. The findings showed that an overwhelming 99.5% of bribes were paid in cash, while only 0.5% involved items like food or drinks.
Furthermore, 75.6% of respondents admitted they were asked to pay a bribe before receiving the service they needed. Another 18.5% said they paid during service delivery, 3.1% paid after the service, and 2.8% indicated they were forced to pay both before and after receiving assistance.
The report concluded that bribery continues to be deeply rooted in everyday services such as getting ID cards, seeking medical care in public hospitals, acquiring police services, and processing land documents.
The EACC has called for urgent reforms and stricter enforcement of anti-corruption laws to curb these unethical practices and restore trust in public institutions.
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