The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has denied reports suggesting it approved the payment of Sh6.2 billion to National Youth Service (NYS) suppliers before moving to halt the same payments through the courts.
Speaking on Thursday at the Integrity Centre during the receipt of an anti-corruption petition from delegates of the Eldoret-to-Nairobi Youth Walk, EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud clarified that the commission was not involved in authorising the payments.
EACC stated that it was drawn into the process after inconsistencies were identified in a multi-agency review.
Mohamud explained that a team appointed by the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury was tasked with reviewing the disputed NYS payments, and the EACC seconded an investigator to the team.
“The team prepared a report and submitted it to the Treasury. However, we were then asked to conduct further investigations because some aspects of the report did not add up,” Mohamud said.
EACC noted that during its investigations, it established that goods and services valued at approximately Sh6.7 billion had neither been supplied nor rendered.
Following these findings, EACC stated that it prepared a criminal file and forwarded it to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for further action. Mohamud said the DPP agreed with the commission’s recommendations.
Separately, the EACC added that it approached the court to seek orders preventing any payments, citing the risk of significant public loss.
“We are convinced the services and goods were not delivered. We requested the court to issue orders preventing payments. The public could have lost over Sh6 billion for services not rendered and goods not supplied,” Mohamud stated.
The remarks come weeks after the EACC secured court orders stopping the payment of Sh6.1 billion by the NYS to multiple companies over alleged fictitious contracts.
In a case filed before the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Court in Nairobi, Lady Justice Lucy Njuguna issued interim orders on December 8, 2025, temporarily restraining the payment of Sh6,167,797,655 pending further hearings.
According to the EACC, the payments were being claimed by several companies, with investigations revealing discrepancies in the delivery and distribution of goods reportedly supplied to the NYS.
Addressing the youth petition, Mohamud described it as timely and in line with the commission’s strategic focus on mobilising young people in the fight against corruption.
“The petition resonates with our strategic focus as a commission in uniting the youth against corruption,” he said, adding that the EACC continues to collaborate with both state and non-state actors to promote ethics and integrity.
Mohamud assured the youth of the commission’s commitment to working with them and other partners to build a corruption-free society, describing the fight against corruption as a collective responsibility.
“We do not take your determination for granted. The fight against corruption requires people who are willing to go the extra mile,” Mohamud said.
by JAMES GICHIGI
