The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chairperson Bishop David Oginde has warned that corruption investigations are hampered when suspects remain in office, saying they can interfere with evidence, documents and witnesses.
Speaking during a symposium marking 16 years of Kenya’s Constitution, Oginde said public officials should respect constitutional oversight institutions and cooperate with investigations.
“I don’t think there is any category that is easy or difficult because corruption is a very personal thing,” Oginde said when asked which category of leaders the EACC finds difficult to investigate.
He said investigations become particularly difficult when an official remains in the office where the alleged corruption occurred.
“Any person who is in office and is being investigated within the same office where they are leaders, it becomes very difficult because those people can interfere with the evidence that we need,” he said.
Oginde said such officials could prevent investigators from accessing documents or influence potential witnesses.
“That person can make sure that we don’t get the documents that we need. That person can deal with any person who wants to be a witness to what has happened,” he said.
He urged public officials to recognise that government resources are held in trust for Kenyans and should not be used for personal gain.
“We must recognize that the resources in our hands are not ours for personal gain,” Oginde said, calling for a change of mindset among people holding public office.
He also criticised officials who fail to respond to requests from constitutional commissions, saying such conduct undermines oversight.
“We have seen situations where we are defying the constitutional mandates that have been given to us, and that undermines our work,” he said.
Oginde said laws alone would not end corruption, arguing that personal responsibility among public officers was equally important.
The remarks come against the backdrop of continued corruption concerns in public institutions with the latest EACC Kenya National Gender and Corruption Survey 2025 showing that police officers, civil registration officials and NTSA officers were among the public officials most frequently identified as recipients of bribes.
The survey reported an average bribe of Sh6,724 in 2025, up from Sh4,878 in 2024, while some respondents reported paying as much as Sh85,000 to secure government jobs and about Sh12,000 for passport processing.
It also found that 98.6% of people who paid bribes did not report the incidents, highlighting the challenges facing efforts to hold public officials accountable.
The survey further reported that court magistrates recorded the highest average bribe at Sh164,367, underscoring the scale and breadth of corruption concerns across public institutions.
Oginde said the fight against corruption requires constitutional commissions to be allowed to perform their mandates without interference.
“If we are called upon to respond to any constitutional commission or independent office, the constitution is the one calling you,” he said.
The comments were made during discussions on the role of constitutional commissions and independent offices 16 years after the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution.