Security Firm Director Arrested Over Ksh5.4 Million Procurement Fraud at Keroka Technical Institute

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has moved against the director of a private security company, accusing him of masterminding a multimillion-shilling procurement scam at a public technical institute in Kisii County.

Gilbert Momanyi Maturwe, the head of Gimo Security and Investigation Services Limited, was arrested by EACC detectives in connection with fraudulent dealings at Keroka Technical Training Institute. The scheme, investigators say, saw the institution lose a total of Ksh5,448,000 in public funds — money that should have gone toward genuine security services at the facility.

At the heart of the matter is a security services contract valued at Ksh257,000 per month, which Gimo Security held over a two-year period. Investigators established that despite the firm collecting the full monthly payments throughout the contract duration, the number of security guards actually deployed at the institute was quietly scaled down. Essentially, the institution was paying full price for a level of service that was never delivered on the ground.

EACC detectives also unearthed a second layer of deception: the Tax Compliance Certificate the company submitted during the procurement process turned out to be forged. Upon verification, it emerged the document had not been generated through Kenya Revenue Authority systems, meaning Gimo Security appears to have secured a government contract by presenting fraudulent compliance paperwork to procurement officers at the institute.

Maturwe was arraigned before Kisii's Chief Magistrate's Court on Wednesday, where the prosecution brought three charges against him — procurement fraud, uttering a false document, and fraudulent acquisition of public property. The director denied each of the counts, entering a not guilty plea across the board.

The magistrate released him on a cash bail of Ksh1 million, with an alternative bond of Ksh2 million secured by two sureties. As a condition of his release, Maturwe was directed to deposit his passport with the court, a precautionary step to ensure he remains within the country's jurisdiction as the case proceeds. The matter is scheduled to return to court for mention on July 6, 2026.

The arrest highlights the persistent vulnerability of procurement processes at public technical and vocational institutions, where weak oversight has repeatedly allowed unscrupulous contractors to exploit billing systems. The EACC has intensified enforcement in recent months, signalling that firms that win government tenders through fraud face not only prosecution but also the recovery of misappropriated public funds.