EACC to intensify crackdown on government land grabbed in Western

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has intensified its crackdown on government land grabbed in the Western region.

EACC Western regional manager Eric Ngumbi said some private developers who have taken over government land were using it as collateral to get bank loans.

He said the commission had recovered 12 parcels of prime government land worth Sh320 million that had been grabbed in Kakamega and Bungoma counties.

“The parcels of land, consisting of government houses, were taken by private individuals in collusion with public officials,” Ngumbi said.

He said the commission is also pursuing 56 more parcels of land illegally acquired from official residences of regional and county commissioners, the State Department of Housing, the Judiciary, the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority, Kenya Railways and the National Treasury.

Busia Airstrip and Amoni Market in Busia county are some of the parcels being pursued for recovery by the agency.

Ngumbi said the commission is also investigating civil servants suspected of abetting the grabbing by absconding court sessions.

He spoke during a joint forum for members of the Regional Security Committee chaired by Western regional commissioner Irungu Macharia at Mumias Cultural Centre in Kakamega county. Ngumbi urged the security chiefs to join hands with EACC in tackling corruption and bribery at service delivery points.

"In the past two months, the commission has carried out arrests and operations at five service delivery points involving police services, revenue collection, civil registration and health services across the region,” he said.

Macharia said corruption remains the greatest obstacle to effective service delivery, calling on administrative officers to take responsibility for ensuring efficient service in their areas of command.

"We must emphasise the importance of inter-agency cooperation in the fight against corruption, and I want to urge my officers to collaborate with EACC in its investigations. All security chiefs are to lead by example in combating corruption among their officers, rather than acting as facilitators of the vices they are employed to curb," he said.

Two years ago, EACC recovered 0.5 acres of public land, which was illegally grabbed at Milimani estate in Kakamega.

Last month, residents of Bungoma county were up in arms over a private developer accused of building on public land, calling on EACC and other state agencies to move with speed and investigate the land belonging to the Kenya Railways Corporation.