Governor Kimani Wamatangi Arrested After EACC Detectives Raid His House
The EACC is facing growing pressure to take action against the county leadership over allegations of financial mismanagement.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has been arrested. This is just hours after detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) raided his home and office.
Wamatangi has been presented at the commission's offices in Nairobi. Earlier on Tuesday, April 15, the detectives also raided the premises of nine other senior county officials amidst allegations of embezzlement of public funds and conflict of interest.
The 10 public officials have reportedly been under probe for mishandling county funds. For months, local political leaders have been pushing for investigations into the governor, who took over from the disgraced Ferdinand Waititu, now serving time for a Ksh588 million corruption case.
Back in February 2024, Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thang'wa urged the EACC to look into the county’s payment system, claiming the governor had ditched the automated system in favor of a manual one.
EACC offices at Integrity Centre in Nairobi. /FILE
According to the senator, this move opened the door for ghost workers, with Ksh390 million allegedly looted through the scheme.
"The reversion to a manual payroll system, under the guise of technical issues, has created the perfect environment for theft. Suspected ghost workers have received over Ksh390 million in fraudulent payments," Thang'wa stated on February 27, 2024.
vHe further claimed that 15 county officers had raked in over Ksh500 million through the scheme, and that the county was unlawfully hiring more than 200 officials through illegal contracts.
"I urge the EACC to act swiftly and decisively in halting this plunder of public resources and bringing those responsible to justice," he stated.
Similar demands were issued by Kikuyu Member of Parliament Kimani Ichung'wah and his Thika Town Alice Ng'ang'a to EACC, adding to the growing pressure for the anti-graft body to take action against the county leadership over allegations of financial mismanagement.
This came after an Auditor General's report revealed glaring inconsistencies in the county government's spending.
MP Ng'ang'a accused the governor of misappropriating funds, while the National Assembly Majority Leader urged the two agencies to launch investigations to get to the bottom of the discrepancies.
The arrest of Wamatangi now marks the second time the county’s leadership has made headlines, with Waititu already behind bars over the multi-million shilling corruption case.
The commission is set to hold a press briefing and release an official statement on the arrest of the current county boss.
