Governor Wavinya suspends 33 revenue officers linked to fraud

Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti has suspending 33 county revenue officers over alleged corruption links.

The move comes amid mounting concerns over fraudulent activities, with the governor pledging to dismantle the entrenched networks of graft undermining public service delivery.

Speaking during a press briefing on Monday, Wavinya described corruption as a cancer eating into the very core of service delivery, warning that her administration would not relent until every culprit is held accountable.

“In light of recent revelations and growing public concern, my office is addressing the alarming incidences of corruption involving public servants entrusted with the welfare of our County,” Wavinya said.

The governor outlined fraudulent practices allegedly perpetrated by the suspended officers, including under-reporting of collected fees, diversion of funds, and issuing fake receipts and permits.

“Despite investing heavily in digitizing revenue collection systems, some public servants continue to collude with unscrupulous individuals to issue illegal permits. Some unsuspecting residents are even conned without their knowledge,” she lamented.

Wavinya said the 33 officers had been suspended with immediate effect and ordered to hand over to their respective Chief Officers. She said their names, along with others still under investigation, would be forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for prosecution.

“Today I am here to name and shame them for stealing from the public. What they have been doing is intolerable. We shall pursue the perpetrators until we smoke out the very last of them,” she declared.

The governor expressed commitment to transform Machakos County into a corruption-free zone, calling for a culture shift where integrity, transparency, and accountability replace shortcuts and impunity.

“We must shift from a culture that demands corruption to one that demands integrity. We must build systems that reward honesty, not shortcuts. We must reward whistleblowers, not punish them,” she said.

The suspension, Wavinya noted, marks the beginning of a wider crackdown targeting all forms of graft within county operations.