Junior officers and even students on attachment are being used by senior officials in the county governments to loot public resources, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has said.

According to EACC CEO Abdi Mohamud, the commission has established increasing cases of senior officers in the county governments using junior officers to register companies and use them as conduits for looting public funds.

In a speech read on behalf of the CEO by Western Kenya EACC manager Eric Ngumbi, the CEO noted that they have stepped up efforts to crack corrupt dealings in the devolved units.

Speaking in Kisumu during an integrity and anti-corruption workshop for senior leadership of Bungoma county, Mohamud said that when those counties requisition and seek approval from the Controller of Budgets to make payments to legitimate suppliers, the monies are diverted to companies that have not done any work.

“There is another example where junior officers and students on attachment in the counties are used by senior officers in cases of imprest fraud,” he said.

He noted that instead of giving imprests to individuals through their bank accounts as required, those county officials direct junior ones to get imprests in large amounts, then withdraw in cash and hand over to them.

The commission issued a warning to junior officers or interns to desist from being used as conduits to apply and receive monies on behalf of senior officials.

“In most cases, these monies are not used for any works. It is money purported to be used to facilitate services, but in the true sense of it, there is nothing of that nature,” he noted.

Mr Ngumbi further added that there are also instances where county officials go for a week’s workshop and appear only for one day, then sign for the whole week and get imprests, then go back home.

“We have several matters of this nature at the Bungoma office in relation to this,” he added.

He further dismissed claims of the commission pursuing politicians based on their political affiliations.

Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka said that they have put in place measures to monitor issues of imprests.

Governor Lusaka noted that imprests must be paid into the accounts of the officers who are going to perform certain duties in their names.

He added that his government will continue to put in more effort on the issue of imprests and ensure more officers undergo training to enable them to do the right thing.

“This capacity-building engagement could not have come at a better time. The expectations of the citizens of Bungoma are high and rightfully so. They want to see a government that is responsive, prudent in the use of public resources, and resolute in the fight against corruption. And they want to see this culture starting from the top,” said Lusaka.