EACC arrests Kitui agriculture chief officer over Sh17.48m contracts
Key points
- EACC arrested Kitui Chief Officer for Agriculture and Fisheries Gladys Mami Kivoto with five company directors.
- Probe covers alleged proxy contracts worth Sh17.48m spanning 2018/19–2024/25 financial years.
- Commission says five firms linked to relatives/associates received a cumulative Sh14.1m from the county.
- DPP approved charges including conflict of interest, abuse of office, money laundering and corrupt procurement.
Sh17.48 million in Kitui county contracts and a chief officer in handcuffs: the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission says it has arrested Gladys Mami Kivoto, Chief Officer for Agriculture and Fisheries, together with five company directors over alleged conflict of interest and irregular procurement, Eastleigh Voice and Standard reported on 6 August 2026.
Investigators claim Kivoto used proxy companies tied to relatives and associates to win county work across the 2018/2019 to 2024/2025 financial years. That multi-year window matters: it is not a single tender dispute, but a pattern the commission says reached into successive budget cycles.
What EACC says the money trail shows
According to the commission, the five firms received a cumulative Sh14.1 million from the county — a figure EACC places inside the wider Sh17.48 million contract envelope under scrutiny. The Director of Public Prosecutions has approved a charge sheet that, EACC says, includes conflict of interest, abuse of office, money laundering, acquisition of proceeds of crime and corrupt procurement practices.
None of those counts is a conviction. Arraignment was expected after the arrests; plea, bail and the first prosecution documents will set the public record. Defence counsel will almost certainly test whether proxy control is proven beyond title searches and payment schedules.
Why county agriculture desks sit in the spotlight
Agriculture is a fully devolved function with large farm-input, machinery and service contracts. When a chief officer for agriculture faces procurement allegations, farmers and suppliers read it as a risk to both value-for-money and programme continuity. County assemblies and the Senate public-accounts machinery will want the full tender files, not only the press note.
Crime desk: Crime. Watch the charge sheet, any asset-recovery applications, and whether Kitui publishes a corrective procurement circular. Until a court rules, the verified facts are the arrest package, the contract totals EACC cites, and the DPP’s green light to prosecute.
Based on Eastleigh Voice and Standard reporting of EACC statements. Court records control charges and outcomes.
