Fresh sh 50 million land case deepens scrutiny as five Nakuru county officials face irregular procurement charges

Barely a month after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) arrested seven current and former senior Nakuru County Government officials and a contractor over alleged procurement fraud involving Sh120 million, another group of county officials has been charged over an alleged irregular Sh50 million land purchase.

The latest case involves six people, including five county officials and a private vendor, who are accused of irregularities in the procurement of land intended for the construction of a health centre in Umoja Lanet Ward, Bahati Sub-County.

According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the accused are Judyleah Gathoni Waihenya, Chief Officer in the Department of Lands, Housing and Physical Planning and Accounting Officer; Samuel Wachira Gachigi, Acting Director of Supply Chain Management Services; Ann Wangui Muya, a departmental accountant; Jane Karungari Muriuki, a senior physical planner; Sammy Munga Nyagah, Deputy Director of Administration; and Samuel Githure Maina, the vendor of parcel No. LR Dundori/Lanet Block 5/894.

The six face 10 charges, including conspiracy to commit an economic crime, undertaking a project without prior planning, wilful failure to comply with procurement laws, forgery and abuse of office.

The ODPP says the alleged offences occurred between October 2019 and October 2020 and involved Tender No. NCG/DP/LHPP/05/2019/2020 for the purchase of land for the proposed health center.

The prosecution alleges that the officials conspired to commit an economic crime involving Sh50 million in public funds. It further alleges that the project was undertaken without prior planning and that procurement requirements, including confirmation of availability of funds, were not followed.

Five of the accused were arraigned in court and denied the charges, while the sixth is expected to take a plea at a later date. The five were released on a Sh2 million bond with one surety of a similar amount, or a cash bail of Sh250,000. The case will be mentioned on September 23.

The charges come as Nakuru County faces renewed scrutiny over the management of public funds and procurement processes.

On July 30, EACC announced the arrest of seven current and former senior county officials together with a contractor over alleged conflict of interest and procurement fraud involving 29 county contracts worth Sh120,042,417. The contracts were awarded between the 2020/2021 and 2024/2025 financial years.

The investigation cantered on allegations that an economist at the county government used companies owned by her husband to conduct business with the county while she was a public officer. EACC said three companies linked to her husband received the 29 contracts.

In 2024, Nakuru County came under scrutiny after a local publication reported that several local teams had rejected sports kits and equipment worth Sh27.5 million, citing concerns over their quality and suitability.

These cases come against the backdrop of concerns raised earlier this year over financial management in the county.

Findings published in May by Africa Uncensored through its WikiLeaks county corruption tracker indicated that Nakuru residents may have lost more than Sh1.3 billion between 2016 and 2024 through alleged corruption, stalled projects, unsupported expenditure and procurement irregularities.

The findings, based on Auditor General reports, EACC investigations and media reports, pointed to recurring concerns around procurement, land and oversight in the county.