Busia Governor Paul Otuoma was Tuesday, February 3, questioned by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Tuesday over the irregular award of tenders and payments exceeding Sh1.4 billion to 26 proxy companies, as investigations into alleged graft within the county government intensify.
According to a press statement by the commission, Governor Otuoma appeared at the EACC Western Regional Offices in Bungoma to record a statement after being summoned as a person of interest in the ongoing probe.
The commission said the investigations arose from numerous complaints by members of the public and the Senate, highlighting entrenched corruption and theft of public funds by Busia County officials, largely through revenue diversion and procurement fraud involving proxy companies.
Busia Governor Paul Otuoma appears before a Senate committee in Nairobi, on September 15, 2025.
Photo credit: File | Nation
Governor Otuoma was questioned over allegations that the county irregularly awarded tenders and paid more than Sh1.4 billion to 26 companies allegedly operated by family members and associates of senior county officials, including the governor, during the 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 financial years.
Of particular interest to investigators were payments amounting to Sh90,031,678 made to four private entities, Baya Farmcare Limited, Leokiz Investment Limited, and Multidose Agro Supplies Limited, allegedly linked to the governor and his family.
As part of the investigations, the commission last year conducted search operations targeting senior county officials, including Finance CEC Topister Wanyama, Lands CEC Peter Odima, Youth and Sports CEC Paul Olunga, Chief Officer for Finance Gypson Ojiambo Wafula and directors Evans Wandera (Budget) and Leonard Omacha (Supply Chain Management).
Governor Otuoma was also interrogated over alleged procurement irregularities in the construction of the Busia Trailer Park Yard during the 2023/2024 financial year, where public land was leased without competitive tendering.
The land was leased to M/s Athi Limited for 25 years at an annual rent of Sh1.4 million with a 10 percent increment every five years, and revenue shared between the county and the contractor.
“Upon conclusion, the Commission will take appropriate action, including recommendations for prosecution of culpable officials and recovery of any corruptly acquired or unexplained wealth,” the statement concluded.
The developments come as the Commission marked another milestone in its asset recovery drive by reclaiming grabbed public land in Machakos town valued at approximately Sh50 million.
The recovered properties of Machakos Municipality Block 1/623 and Block 1/624 are located along Kangundo Road and measure about 0.79 acres.
Investigations found that the parcels were illegally allocated to private individuals in the early 1990s.
The EACC established that the two parcels were originally part of LR No 909/536, measuring 1.78 acres, which had been reserved for the Ministry of Health for institutional housing.
The land hosts Government House No. Mach/House/HG.14, a pool house currently occupied by the Sub-County Police Commander.
Further inquiries revealed that LR No. 909/536 was unlawfully subdivided into three parcels: Blocks 1/622, 1/623, and 1/624.
While Blocks 1/623 and 1/624 were allocated to private developers, the portion hosting the government house remained under public use. During the investigations, the registered owner of Block 1/624 voluntarily surrendered the land to the government.
In 2019, the Commission filed a recovery suit over Machakos Municipality Block 1/623 against then Lands Commissioner Wilson Gacanja and Joseph Mutuku Muia. In a judgment delivered on January 16, 2026, the Environment and Land Court ordered cancellation of the title and directed that the land revert to the Government of Kenya.
Over the past year, the EACC has also recovered two other properties in Machakos County, including land allocated to the Judiciary and a parcel forming part of Machakos Primary School.
Addressing the press at the recovery site, EACC Director of Legal Services and Asset Recovery David K. Too said the Commission is actively pursuing assets worth about Sh363 million across Machakos, Kitui, and Makueni counties. Among these assets are 13 parcels of Kenya Prisons land valued at Sh60 million.
