The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has apprehended two high-ranking police officers serving in Kitutu Central Sub-County and Nyanchwa Police Station on suspicions of demanding and accepting a bribe from a civilian.
Based on the commission’s statement, the officers are alleged to have requested payment from a complainant to enable the arrest of a person allegedly implicated in a property conflict within Nyanchwa Estate, Kisii County.
The complainant stated that the officers, a District Criminal Investigations Officer and a Chief Inspector, had supposedly requested Ksh100,000 to address the issue, which led EACC detectives to initiate an inquiry into the allegations.
After conducting surveillance, the officers were taken into custody on Friday, May 28, following their purported acceptance of an installment payment of Ksh40,000 from the complainant during a carefully monitored entrapment operation.
The commission verified that the arrests were preceded by a complaint asserting that the officers demanded Kes100,000 to facilitate the apprehension of a person accused of unlawfully occupying a plot of land within Nyanchwa Estate in Kisii County and constructing buildings on it.
The suspects were transported to the EACC Kisii Regional Office for administrative procedures before being granted bail of Ksh50,000 each, with the condition that they remain available until investigations are concluded.
The EACC affirmed that the arrests constituted part of continuous initiatives to combat corruption within government entities, especially cases involving the misuse of official positions for private enrichment.
The incident occurs during a sequence of recent anti-corruption measures aimed at public officials accused of extracting bribes from citizens requesting services.
In a unrelated case earlier that same Friday, another individual was apprehended on accusations of demanding a Ksh30,000 bribe to reconnect electricity service that had been terminated.
In that particular case, the utility employee was also alleged to have collaborated with a partner in the scheme, after a resident whose electrical supply had been discontinued two days prior filed a complaint.
The EACC reported that investigators executed a sting operation subsequent to receiving the complaint, meticulously observing and recording communications between the accused parties and the complainant.
Corruption remains a significant obstacle in the provision of public services, with police officers, magistrates, NTSA officials, teachers, and lecturers being among the most frequently targeted professionals, receiving illicit payments typically ranging from Ksh1,000 to Ksh160,000.