EACC arrests Bomet Governor Barchok over alleged corruption, theft
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok has been arrested by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
The arrest follows concerns raised by area MPs over alleged corruption in the county.
Reports indicate that detectives from the anti-graft authority stormed the governor’s house to locate documents related to fraudulent dealings in the county.
Confirming the arrest, EACC spokesperson Erick Ngumbi said Barchok is expected to record a statement at the South Rift Valley EACC offices in Nakuru.
“Yes, Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok is in the custody of EACC detectives in Bomet County, facilitating an operation that began this morning,” Ngumbi stated.
Legislators led by Senator Hillary Sigei since last year November have been calling for the governor to be charged over misappropriation of funds.
The leaders singled out a case of mismanagement of various hospitals that are run by the South Rift County including Langisa Hospital which led to the death of a three-year-old baby.
The lawmakers called on the anti-graft authority to take action against Governor Barchok and other county executive officers.
The anti-corruption watchdog launched investigations into the misuse of Ksh 373 million in public funds.
The probe focused on accusations of theft, conflict of interest, and procurement fraud related to the acquisition of heavy road construction equipment and trucks.
EACC got financial and procurement documents of the county which they have been using during their probe.
“Kindly provide us with the following original documents: approved budget for FY 2022/2023 and 2023/2024; approved procurement plan for FY 2022/2023 and 2023/2024; procurement requisition; approved memo-seeking approval advertisement,” EACC South Rift Regional Manager Ignatius Wekesa wrote to the county Secretary last year July.
The second term governor has also been at pains to explain how the county’s pending bills are balloining even as projects worth over Ksh 1 billion have stalled.
Chebang’ang water supply project valued at Ksh 532 million and Ksh 257.4 million Bomet Stadium stick out as the projects which have failed.
The Chebang’ang project was a joint-venture between the county government and the Kenya Red Cross Society signed in 2018 for a period of five years.
However, even after the county spending Sh96 million on the project, a physical inspection conducted in November 2021 revealed that the project was yet to be completed as per the auditor general report of 2023.
The works that had been started at the intake of the water supply had stalled and the contractor had abandoned the site.
