By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT
Anti-corruption detectives today raided Embu County Government headquarters as investigations intensified into alleged conflict of interest and procurement irregularities involving county officials and Members of the County Assembly.
The operation was led by EACC Central Region Manager Japhath Baithalu, who headed a team of officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission during the exercise conducted on Tuesday.
Speaking to the press outside the county offices, Baithalu confirmed that the raid was part of ongoing investigations into suspected abuse of office and irregular awarding of county tenders.
He said the Commission is probing allegations that some public officials used private companies linked to them to secure lucrative contracts from the County Government of Embu.
According to Baithalu, the investigations centre on three Members of the County Assembly and several county officials suspected of secretly benefiting from tenders issued by the county government.
He noted that preliminary findings indicate the officials allegedly used at least eleven companies in which they held beneficial interests to obtain the contracts.
Baithalu said investigators believe the companies were used as conduits to win public tenders, raising serious concerns about conflict of interest and abuse of office.
He added that early findings show the officials received approximately KSh 95 million through the alleged irregularly awarded contracts.
During the raid, EACC detectives spent hours inside the county headquarters collecting documents and reviewing procurement records believed to be key to the ongoing probe.
Baithalu told journalists that officers were also examining payment records and contract files to establish how the companies were awarded the tenders and whether procurement laws were violated.
He further revealed that investigators are looking into alleged procurement irregularities linked to the extension of a contract for a Revenue Collection System.
The EACC Central Region Manager said the county government is suspected of extending the contract without following the required procurement procedures, which may have violated public finance management regulations.
Baithalu maintained that investigations are ongoing and assured the public that appropriate action will be taken once the inquiry is completed.
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