By The Weekly Vision Reporter
Seven current and former senior officials of the Nakuru County Government, together with a contractor, were arrested on Thursday by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over an alleged conflict-of-interest and procurement fraud scheme involving county contracts valued at more than Sh120 million.
The arrests follow a lengthy investigation into Lorna Karamuta Mubichi, an Economist II at the County Government of Nakuru, who is accused of steering 29 irregular contracts worth Sh120,042,417 to three companies controlled by her husband over five financial years, from 2020/2021 to 2024/2025.
According to the Commission, the contracts were awarded to Denken Building & Construction Limited, Murinchamba Investments Limited and Windcom Solutions Limited, firms owned and controlled by Kenneth Muriithi Ndubi, Mubichi’s husband, either solely or jointly with his brother, Brian Mwenda Ndubi.
Investigators established that the three firms secured the tenders using falsified documents, and that Mubichi held a private financial interest in her husband’s businesses even as she continued to serve as a public officer at the same county government the firms were contracting with. EACC described this as a direct conflict between her private financial interests and her official duties as a county employee, in breach of the integrity and accountability standards expected of public officers.
The Commission further alleges that proceeds from the contracts were partly funnelled back into joint bank accounts held by Mubichi and her husband, with tracing of the payments showing that some funds also reached several senior county officials.
EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud confirmed the arrests in a statement issued on Thursday. Those taken into custody are:
- Lorna Karamuta Mubichi
- Kenneth Muriithi Ndubi
- Daniel Ndung’u Wainaina
- Kennedy Mungai Barasa
- Timothy Kiogora Muriithi
- Peter Gitau Thabanja
- Solomon Sirma
The arrested officials reportedly include serving county executive members, chief officers and county directors, who are being held for questioning at EACC’s regional office in Nakuru. The Commission said it is pursuing two further suspects believed to be in hiding, and has directed them to report to its South Rift Regional Office or the nearest EACC office.
The Director of Public Prosecutions has approved the prosecution of nine suspects in total, on charges that include conflict of interest, money laundering, acquisition of proceeds of crime, engaging in corrupt procurement practices, and wilful failure to comply with procurement laws.
The nine are expected to be arraigned before the Nakuru Law Courts on Friday, 31 July 2026. EACC reiterated its commitment to protecting public resources, urging public institutions to strengthen compliance with the Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, and stating that all persons implicated in corruption and economic crime would be held to account.
