EACC says Bribery, tender rigging, kickbacks aiding corruption

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has identified bribery, kickbacks, collusion, bid rigging, embezzlement, fraud, incomplete and abandoned projects as some of the major issues facing the infrastructure sector.

The commission said that it was investigating some government departments that had ended up paying for incomplete projects forcing the tax payer to lose billions of shillings.

According to the commission chairman Archbishop (Rtd) Eliud Wabukala, the malpractices ranged from payments for works not done and conflict of interest.

He added that irregular variation of contracts and road designs to facilitate undesirable shot cuts were also some of the emerging malpractices reported to the commission.

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“The infrastructure sector and particularly implementation of public infrastructure projects have not been spared by the dangerous cancer of corruption,”

“The infrastructural sector is the backbone of socio-economic growth and prosperity for any nation and we must make sure that graft does not affect this,” he said.

The chairman was speaking in Lake Naivasha Resort during an integrity assurance training course for officers from the Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA).

During the function, he termed the Authority as very crucial in the establishment and development of key infrastructure projects in the country.

He told the officers that the overall objective of the workshop was to equip them with relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes to promote personal integrity and prevent corruption.

“I urge you to take the less travelled road of integrity in your service at the authority for the good of our country through provision of impeccable services,” he said.

Wabukala added that the commission was keenly monitoring the activities and conduct of all public officials to ensure that public resources were prudently used.

“We will not shy away from discharging our constitutional mandate in respect to any public officer who is found plundering and abusing the public resources entrusted to them,” he said.

On his part, KENHA chairman Engineer Wangai Ndirangu said that they had automated operations in their weighbridges which in the past have been associated with corruption.

“In the past weighbridges were identified with corruption but following various mitigations measures operators are happy with our work,” he said.

He added that plans were underway to blacklist all contractors who provided fake documents so as to win tenders for various infrastructure projects in the country.