Governor Natembeya Exposes EACC Officer For Harassing Him

According to the governor, he was in Nairobi for a planned meeting about NG-CDF funds, but the Council of Governors postponed it.

Viral Tea Ke Writer Viral Tea Ke Writer
May 27, 2025 - 16:50 Updated: May 27, 2025 - 16:52
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Governor Natembeya Exposes EACC Officer For Harassing Him
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya speaking during a visit to Nzoia Sugar Company on May 12, 2025. /GEORGE NATEMBEYA

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has accused officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) of mistreating him during his recent arrest linked to corruption allegations, singling out one officer who was particularly vicious towards him.

While speaking during a tour in Western Kenya on Monday, May 26, Natembeya opened up about what he described as a traumatic experience. He said the officers raided both his Nairobi and Kitale homes after accusations of corruption surfaced.

According to the governor, he was in Nairobi for a planned meeting about NG-CDF funds, but the Council of Governors postponed it. Instead of heading back to Trans Nzoia immediately, he chose to rest at one of his Nairobi residences.

EACC offices at the Integrity Centre in Nairobi. /FILE

He said he was asleep early in the morning when a doorbell woke him. Looking out the window, he saw around a dozen men. When he asked who they were, they said they were EACC officers with a warrant to search the house.

What followed was an intense early-morning operation. Natembeya claimed the officers humiliated and intimidated him, pointing out that one officer was especially aggressive.

He said they swept through every room in his house, rifling through his personal belongings without explaining what they were after, and ultimately took nothing. Despite this, they still arrested him.

"The officers instructed an AP police officer to handcuff me, but I firmly refused, demanding to see the warrant of arrest. Instead of complying, one of the officers forcefully lifted me, carried me to their vehicle, and sped off to the EACC headquarters," the governor recounted.

The former Rift Valley Regional Commissioner said he was detained for over three hours without any communication and wasn't allowed to contact his lawyers.

“These EACC people treat people so badly and handle you as a guilty person even before you are charged. My wife cried when my home was raided and ransacked in a bad way. I have never had audit queries during the time I have worked in government,” the governor told a multitude who had turned out for the welcoming in Kitale.

“At around 7 pm, an OCS at Integrity Centre came and told me that he had come to do a caution and charge. That is when I knew I had been locked up."

EACC stated that Natembeya’s arrest was tied to alleged procurement irregularities, abuse of office, bribery, and the fraudulent misuse of public funds within the Trans Nzoia County Government.

He was later arraigned in court and released on a Ksh500,000 bail, but under strict instructions issued by Senior Principal Magistrate Charles Ondieki, among them being required to stay away from the county headquarters for 60 days to allow police to gather evidence, if any, from that office.

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya at the Milimani Law Courts, Nairobi on May 20, 2025. /COURT HELICOPTER NEWS

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