The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a serving Garissa Member of County Assembly (MCA) and two former senior county officials over the alleged fraudulent payment of Ksh51,495,516 to a private company for goods and services that were never delivered.
The suspects are set to be arraigned before the Garissa Law Courts for plea taking.
The Arrests
Those arrested include:
- Abdi Ibrahim Daar, MCA for Balambala Ward and sole director of Qorjarey Enterprise & General Supplies Limited.
- Mohamud Dubow Korane, former Director of Accounting Services, County Government of Garissa.
- Yussuf Bethe Ali, former Senior Principal Economist at the county.
According to EACC, investigations established that the County Government of Garissa irregularly paid Ksh51,495,516 to Qorjarey Enterprise & General Supplies Limited between August 2021 and September 2022. The payments were purportedly for the supply of emergency relief food items and water trucking services during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years.
However, investigators found that the goods and services were never delivered.
Alleged Irregularities
The anti-graft agency revealed several irregularities in the transactions, including:
- Lack of budgetary provision and absence of an approved procurement plan for the alleged emergency supplies.
- The company not being among pre-qualified suppliers for the relevant financial years.
- Forged documents allegedly used to facilitate the payments.
- Approval and processing of payments without any procurement process.
Investigations further established that Daar, who served as a Social Development Officer at the County Government of Garissa between 2018 and 2022, was the sole director and bank signatory of the company that received the funds.
The EACC alleges that Korane and Ali processed and approved the payments in favour of the company despite the absence of supporting procurement documentation or evidence of service delivery.
Charges and Prosecution
Upon conclusion of investigations, the Commission forwarded the file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), which concurred with the recommendation to charge the suspects.
They are expected to face charges including:
- Conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption contrary to Section 47A (3) of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act.
- Abuse of office contrary to Section 46 of the Act.
- Forgery contrary to Section 345 of the Penal Code.
- Fraudulent acquisition of public property contrary to Section 45 (1) of the Act.
The three suspects were arrested on Sunday, February 22, 2026, and are scheduled to appear in court on Monday, February 23, 2026.
Civil Recovery
In addition to the criminal proceedings, the EACC said it will institute civil proceedings to recover the allegedly unlawful payments.
The Commission reiterated its commitment to safeguarding public resources and urged public officers to uphold integrity and accountability in the management of public funds.
The case adds to a growing list of corruption prosecutions targeting county governments over alleged misuse of public funds earmarked for essential services.
