Kenya Forest Service suspends two officers following EACC arrests

KFS interdicts two officers arrested by EACC over fraud charges. [EACC]

The Kenya Forest Service (KFS) has interdicted two officers following their arrest by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in Garissa on fraud charges.

In a statement on Wednesday, September 25, KFS said it does not tolerate corruption and will address similar cases swiftly.

“All KFS staff are made aware of the Anti-Corruption Policy, Staff Code of Conduct and Whistleblowers Policy, which uphold a zero-tolerance stance against corruption,” KFS said adding,  “Any cases of corruption will be dealt with swiftly and decisively.”

The suspects, Elphas Tembu Wesonga, Conservator and Ibrahim Aden Hussein, Accountant, allegedly overpaid casual employees and then demanded the money back from them.

 The Commission confirmed the arrest on Wednesday through Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi.

“The officers routinely deposited money into the casuals’ bank accounts disguised as legitimate payments then later ordered the workers to withdraw and hand over the money to them,” explained Ngumbi.

During the operation, which took place on Tuesday, EACC recovered Sh73,000, part of the day’s collection from the casual employees.

 It is alleged that the money collected through the scheme is shared among the officers and their superiors.