The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is investigating a clerk at the Environment ministry for allegedly using 10 companies to benefit from tenders with a total value of Sh385.9 million.
The officer, a senior clerk who has worked at the Ministry of Environment since 2009, is accused of failing to disclose his interests in companies that won tenders at the same ministry over 11 financial years to June 2025.
The clerk is stationed at the State Department for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry.
EACC wants the clerk charged with 10 counts of acquisition of proceeds of crime, 10 counts of money laundering, conflict of interest and using proceeds of crime.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga has returned the investigation file to EACC to tighten loose ends before taking the matter to court.
Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Photo credit: Photo | Pool
The investigation started after EACC received a complaint about the officer using his position to benefit from tenders in the same State institution that he works for.
The alleged dealings were between the 2014/2015 and 2024/2025 financial years, with the firms receiving a cumulative Sh385,993,652 from the ministry during the period under investigation.
EACC’s quarterly report states that the firms under investigation alleged to be involved in various transactions are Concept Three Company Ltd, ELMS Africa, Syndou Company Ltd, Tads Enterprises Ltd, Ping Transline Solutions Ltd, Denk Enterprises Ltd, Jenntech Systems Company Limited, Alibaba Tours and Travel Limited, Big Sky Tyres and Mijek Digital Systems Limited.
“Further, the Senior Clerical Officer failed to disclose his interests in the various tenders won by the companies associated with him,” EACC said in its report, which has been published in the Kenya Gazette.
The investigation is also aimed at establishing whether the clerk used his position to influence the outcome of tenders in favour of companies the EACC says are associated with him.
The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (No. 33 of 2015) in Kenya, updated in the Revised Edition 2022, governs all procurement and asset disposal processes across national and county government entities. One of its key pillars is ensuring that government contracts are awarded through transparent and accountable processes.
A public officer with an undisclosed private interest in companies doing business with their ministry risks compromising that separation between public duty and private benefit.
Findings by the anti-corruption agency show that investigators not only uncovered the officer's alleged undisclosed interests, but also what happened to the money after it was paid to the companies.
The probe established that the companies had received Sh385,993,652.65, which EACC described as proceeds of crime and alleged that the respective directors, proprietors and bank signatories engaged in money laundering activities to conceal the proceeds.
The involvement of directors, proprietors and bank signatories is central to the commission's recommendations, which target both the public officer and private individuals associated with the firms. Investigators are seeking to establish criminal liability not only for the alleged undisclosed interests but also for the handling of the money paid out by the ministry.
On June 30, 2026, EACC compiled its investigation report and forwarded it to the Director of Public Prosecutions, recommending charges against the 10 companies, their directors and the public officer.
The proposed charges include conflict of interest contrary to Section 42(3), read together with Section 48 of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.
The commission also recommended a charge of using proceeds of crime under Section 4(b), read with Section 16(1) of the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act.
In addition, it proposed 10 counts of acquisition of proceeds of crime under Section 4(a), read with Section 16 of the same law, as well as 10 counts of money laundering under Section 3(b)(i), read with Section 16.
The Environment Ministry case is among a number of investigations in which EACC has examined alleged conflicts of interest involving public officers and companies doing business with government institutions.
In Turkana County, the commission investigated an employee over alleged conflict of interest, money laundering and acquisition of proceeds of crime through Ekwang Suppliers Company Limited, which received Sh2,763,681.05 from the county government.
The employee, who joined the county government in 2014 as a community health nurse and was later promoted to Registered Nurse II, allegedly traded with the county through the company. Investigators established that he incorporated Ekwang Suppliers in 2017 alongside another director, with both listed as signatories to the company's bank accounts.
EACC forwarded the file to the DPP with recommendations to charge the company and its directors; a request that the prosecutors’ office obliged.
Another Turkana investigation involved a county finance officer and Apuco Holdings Group, which was linked to 17 tenders valued at Sh62.6 million. The matter also involved related transactions and proceedings in the Milimani Anti-Corruption Court.
These cases illustrate the commission's scrutiny of potential conflicts arising when public officers have business interests in entities receiving government contracts.
The precise nature of the officers’ association with each company, how the firms secure the tenders, and who ultimately benefited from the payments remain pertinent questions that the anti-graft commission seeks to answer.
