EACC warns Western MCAs of blackmailing county executive officials over tenders

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has challenged Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) in the Western region to desist from an emerging pattern in which MCAs demand to be awarded tenders for all works in their respective wards, as well as job opportunities for their relatives and political supporters, including those without qualifications.

Speaking in Kakamega while opening the Corruption Prevention Forum for CEC Members and Chief Officers of Kakamega County, EACC Regional Director for Western Kenya, Eric Ngumbi, revealed that when these demands are not met, the MCAs resort to blackmail and threaten county executive officials with impeachment or other sanctions.

“The MCAs also demand irregular recruitment of their relatives and political supporters, including those without qualifications. When these demands are not met, the MCAs blackmail and threaten County Executive Officials with impeachment or other sanctions,” Mr Ngumbi noted.

“In other cases, they demand that the Executive Officials be transferred to other dockets for failure to ‘cooperate’ with them.”

The Commission says that such practices compromise the ability of the MCAs to effectively discharge their oversight over accountability in the use of county public funds, thus increasing corruption in the counties.

Ngumbi noted that trading with counties puts county officials at risk of sanctions outlined under the Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, which was recently signed into law by the President last month. 

If convicted, it may also affect their eligibility to hold public office.

The Commission also urged governors of the 34 counties where a Corruption Risk Assessment has been undertaken by EACC to implement the EACC recommendations, which, according to the Commission, would significantly reduce the levels of corruption currently witnessed in the counties, even as EACC continues with criminal investigations.