The EACC has accused high profile government personalities of deliberately frustrating the prosecution of serious cases.
Chairman Eliud Wabukala did not name them but said those involved in the cases have taken large sums of money.
Wabukala said the commission has tried making strides in the prosecutions but that their hands are tied due to limited resources.
"The people who are mentioned in these cases have a lot of money. They have made prosecution so expensive...before you launch investigations, they buy the best lawyers in the country," he said. "They have all the networks to frustrate the efforts of the commission."
He spoke in Nairobi on Wednesday when he signed an MoU with religious institutions on creating awareness on corruption across the country.
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Editors Guild chairman Linus Kaikai had hit at the commission saying it was taking Kenyans for a ride in the war on corruption.
Kaikai said
the EACC can either show commitment in dealing with the high profile cases or "play mere PR with chapter six of the constitution".
"The commission must appreciate the frustration of Kenyans on the issue of corruption .Your score card is in bad shape," he told the chairman. "It is not about arresting a traffic police officer in funny drama...you must take up high level corruption suspects to court...the hope to win the war will begin there."
He added that the chapter on leadership and integrity must be reviewed to have more meaning in terms of holding leaders accountable.
But Wabukala said they have been "over-stretched" by the many cases that are limited to just a few officers.
"Kenya has a population of 45 million people and an EACC commission that has about 600 officers who receive over 700 cases a week. We cannot mange to prosecute as effectively as
expected," he said.
Wabukala noted that despite the ups and downs, the commission has recovered Sh35 million that had been acquired corruptly and stopped the theft of more than Sh1.6 billion public funds.
"As we speak there are 432 cases pending in court and 1,340 officers have been charged with offenses related to corruption," he said, and added that they were being proactive.
But in December last year, Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter blamed the EACC for the failing war on graft, saying the agency “targets small fish and protects prominent looters”.
Keter said key suspects in the Sh1.6 billion National Youth Service scam have yet to be prosecuted.
“Those taken to court do not have even money to pay bail. But those who carried money in sacks are still free,” he said.
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