Former Homa Bay County officials arrested in sh348.9M tender irregularities case
Nyanza
By
James Omoro
| Jan 17, 2026
Former senior officials of the Homa Bay County have been arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over the alleged irregular procurement of contracts worth Sh348.9 million.
In a press statement, EACC Head of Corporate Affairs and Communication Stephen Karuga said the arrests involve former county officials, a former national government official, a contractor and his wife. The arrests relate to alleged irregularities in the procurement of the Homa Bay County Assembly office block.
Those arrested include former Homa Bay County Assembly Clerk Faith Apuko; former Senior Superintendent Quantity Surveyor at the State Department of Public Works, Patrick Tunoi; former county executive committee member for Lands, Roseline Odhiambo; and the director of Heartland Enterprises Ltd, James Oyukah, together with his wife, Mary Oduor.
The EACC is also seeking the former clerk of the Homa Bay County Assembly, Daniel Kaudo, after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ordered his arrest over the same alleged offences.
According to the commission, the suspects are accused of irregularly awarding a tender for the construction of the county assembly office block to Heartland Enterprises Ltd, whose directors were employees of the Homa Bay County Government at the time.
READ MORE
Kepsa flags double-digit inflation risk from Middle East conflict
KPA pushes Mombasa, Lamu as key cruise tourism hubs
207 youth get training on e-waste handling
Listed firms' CEOs now face fines, jail time for sustainability lies
Pressure mounts on World Bank over factory farming funds in Africa
Co-op Bank takes networking gala to Coast
Experts slam 'temporary fixes' to Kenya's Sh12.6tr debt
While Rwanda charts a clear path forward, Kenya is getting it all wrong
1,100 face job losses as Meta severs ties with Kenyan content moderator
Lawyer: Move to reduce VAT to 8 per cent by Treasury unconstitutional though a relief to Kenyans
The officials are further accused of entering into a contract with the firm without a valid performance guarantee, leading to the unlawful payment of Sh66.7 million.
“Upon conclusion of the investigations, the commission forwarded the investigations file to the DPP, who, upon review, approved charges against the suspects,” the EACC said in the statement.
The five suspects were escorted to Homa Bay Police Station, where they are being held pending arraignment in the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Court.
Meanwhile, the EACC called on Mr Kaudo to surrender to the police.
“The commission calls upon the remaining suspect, Mr Kaudo, to present himself to Homa Bay Police Station or any EACC office,” Karuga said.