Civil servants have been implicated in the theft of Sh2.4 billion in public funds, but government efforts to recover the stolen money have largely failed, with only a small portion traced or returned to the Treasury, according to ongoing investigations and forensic audits.
The figure emerged from a series of internal probes and reports by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Auditor-General’s office and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations spanning the last three financial years. The money was allegedly siphoned through ghost payrolls, inflated procurement contracts, fraudulent imprest claims, fictitious travel allowances, unauthorised transfers to private accounts and collusion with suppliers who delivered substandard goods or nothing at all.
A senior EACC investigator who spoke on condition of anonymity said the cases involve mid-level and senior civil servants across multiple ministries, departments and agencies. “The theft is not limited to one sector,” the investigator said. “We have seen patterns in the National Government Constituencies Development Fund, county governments, ministries of health, education, interior, water and public works. The common thread is abuse of positions of trust by people who handle public money daily.”
The Auditor-General’s latest consolidated report on national and county governments flagged irregular expenditure exceeding Sh2.4 billion linked to civil servants. In one ministry, over Sh400 million was paid to ghost employees who existed only on payroll records. In another county, Sh280 million was disbursed for non-existent road projects, with civil servants signing off on completion certificates for roads that were never built. Procurement officers in several counties colluded with suppliers to inflate quotations for goods and services, pocketing the difference through kickbacks.
Despite arrests in some high-profile cases, recovery has been minimal. The EACC has secured freezing orders on bank accounts and properties linked to suspects, but courts have been slow to grant final forfeiture orders. Assets seized so far—vehicles, plots and cash—account for less than Sh150 million. Investigators attribute the low recovery rate to several factors: complex money-laundering trails through multiple bank accounts and shell companies, delays in court processes, lack of specialised forensic accountants in some agencies, and suspects quickly dissipating proceeds through family members or offshore transfers.
One EACC officer familiar with the files said: “We trace money to a suspect’s account, obtain a preservation order, then discover the funds have already been moved to a spouse’s account or used to buy property in a relative’s name. By the time we get to the next layer, the trail goes cold. We need faster court processes and stronger asset-tracing laws.”
The National Treasury has also struggled to enforce recovery through salary deductions or pension withholding. In many cases, suspects resign or retire before disciplinary proceedings conclude, and pension authorities are reluctant to withhold benefits without final court orders. “We have cases where individuals retire, collect their gratuity and disappear while appeals drag on for years,” a Treasury official said. “The system is not designed for rapid asset recovery.”
Public frustration is mounting over the apparent lack of progress. Citizens groups and anti-corruption campaigners argue that the low recovery rate sends a message that stealing public money carries little personal risk. “When billions are stolen and only millions are recovered, the incentive is to keep stealing,” said a civil-society leader who has tracked the cases. “We need political will at the highest level to push these cases through the courts and ensure stolen money is returned.”
The government has responded by strengthening inter-agency collaboration and establishing a multi-agency task force on asset recovery. The task force includes officers from the EACC, DCI, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Asset Recovery Agency, Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the National Police Service. The group meets weekly to coordinate investigations, share intelligence and fast-track court applications for freezing and forfeiture orders.
President William Ruto has repeatedly promised zero tolerance for corruption and has directed the task force to prioritise high-value cases. “Every shilling stolen from the people will be recovered,” Ruto said during a recent anti-corruption summit. “We are building a system where it is harder to steal and easier to get caught and punished.”
Despite the rhetoric, critics argue that political interference and weak enforcement continue to undermine progress. Several cases involving politically connected civil servants have stalled at the investigation or prosecution stage, raising questions about selective justice.
The Sh2.4 billion figure is considered conservative, as it reflects only cases that have been audited and quantified. The actual loss could be higher when unreported or undetected incidents are factored in. The Auditor-General’s office has warned that weak internal controls, inadequate staffing in audit units and poor record-keeping remain the main enablers of theft.
As the government pushes for fiscal consolidation and revenue mobilisation, the failure to recover stolen funds is seen as a major obstacle. Every billion lost is a billion less for hospitals, schools, roads and social protection programmes. The slow pace of recovery has also damaged public trust in institutions meant to protect the public purse.
The task force has promised to provide quarterly updates on recoveries and prosecutions. Whether these efforts will yield meaningful results in the coming months will be a key test of the government’s anti-corruption resolve.
