Eacc detectives arrest Garissa MCA, two ex-officials in Sh51.4million fraud
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a serving Garissa Member of County Assembly and two former senior county officials over the alleged fraudulent payment of more than Ksh.51.4 million from county coffers.
Those arrested are Abdi Ibrahim Daar, the MCA for Balambala Ward, Mohamud Dubow Korane, the former Director of Accounting Services in Garissa County, and Yussuf Bethe Ali, a former Senior Principal Economist with the county government.
According to charge documents dated February 23, 2026, the trio is accused of conspiring to commit an offence of corruption between April and June 2022 by facilitating payments to Qorjarey Enterprise and General Supplies Limited for goods and services that were allegedly never procured or delivered to the County Government of Garissa.
Investigators allege that the payments, amounting to Sh51,495,253, were processed through the government’s Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), raising concerns about internal controls and oversight within the county’s financial systems.
Korane is accused of approving payments totaling more than Sh23.7 million within a span of just three days between June 28 and June 30, 2022 despite the alleged absence of any goods supplied or services rendered.
Specifically, he is said to have authorized a payment of over Sh10.8 million and a separate amount exceeding Sh12.9 million to the company during that period.
On his part, Yussuf Bethe Ali allegedly initiated the transactions by raising multiple invoices in April and May 2022.
Prosecutors claim he generated an invoice of Sh14,528,968 on April 6, 2022, followed by another for Sh8,300,468 on April 14, 2022. A third invoice amounting to Sh4,804,568 was allegedly raised on May 4, 2022, forming part of the cumulative payments now under scrutiny.
MCA Ibrahim is facing additional forgery charges. He is accused of falsifying tender and award documents to legitimize the payments and create the appearance of a lawful procurement process.
The three suspects were arrested on February 22, 2026, and are scheduled to appear before the Garissa Law Courts for plea taking.
In a statement, the anti-graft agency said the arrests are part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on corruption in devolved units and safeguard public resources from abuse.
The commission reiterated its commitment to holding public officials accountable and ensuring that county funds are used strictly for their intended purposes.
