Machakos County Governor Wavinya Ndeti has suspended 36 county employees after uncovering widespread corruption within the revenue collection Department.
Governor Ndeti said the implicated officers were found to have engaged in serious malpractices, including under-reporting of fees, issuing fake receipts, diverting public funds, and colluding with members of the public to defraud the county.
The affected staff are drawn from departments such as Administration, Trade, Liquor Licensing, Billing, Revenue, ICT, Inspectorate, Fire Services, and Cashier operations. They have been directed to immediately hand over to their respective chief officers and stop all county-related duties.
“Their cases have been forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) for prosecution and recovery of stolen funds,” said Governor Ndeti.
Reaffirming her administration’s zero-tolerance stance on graft, the governor emphasized that transparency, accountability, and integrity must remain at the heart of public service.
“Machakos must shift from a culture that normalizes corruption to one that rewards honesty,” she said.
Governor Ndeti also urged residents to take an active role in fighting corruption. “The public must reject corrupt practices, seek clarification when in doubt, and support this war. We can only win it together,” she appealed.
Addressing the issue of pending bills, she revealed that her administration inherited a Ksh 4.2 billion debt from the previous regime and is also working to reduce arrears owed to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).
She concluded by reiterating her government’s commitment to restoring trust in public institutions. “We will remain vigilant and continue cleaning up public service to ensure efficient and honest service delivery for all Machakos residents,”
