Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission detectives have apprehended a Garissa Member of County Assembly and two senior officials over a brazen KSh 51.4 million scandal involving ghost relief food deliveries, highlighting endemic corruption in marginalized regions.

In a decisive crackdown on county-level graft, anti-corruption detectives have arrested a prominent Garissa Member of County Assembly alongside two senior technocrats for orchestrating a multi-million shilling phantom relief food scheme.

The KSh 51.4 million scandal strikes at the very heart of Kenya's devolution promises. As northern counties continuously battle severe climate shocks, prolonged droughts, and resource scarcity, the weaponization and theft of emergency relief funds represent a profound betrayal of the region's most vulnerable populations. The audacious nature of this fraud underscores the systemic loopholes that continue to plague public finance management at the county level.

The Anatomy of the Phantom Relief Scheme

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) detailed a sophisticated web of deceit woven during the 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 financial years. The payments were reportedly wired to a private entity, Qorjarey Enterprise and General Supplies Limited. The company was supposed to deliver vital emergency relief food items and water trucking services to drought-stricken communities. However, investigators revealed that not a single grain of maize or drop of water ever reached the intended beneficiaries.

At the center of this controversy is Abdi Ibrahim Daar, the Member of County Assembly for Balambala Ward. Shockingly, investigations revealed that during the execution of these fraudulent payments, Daar was not only the sole director and bank signatory of the offending company but was also simultaneously serving as a social development officer within the county government, presenting a glaring conflict of interest that went unchecked by the county's oversight mechanisms.

Collusion in the Corridors of Power

The successful execution of such a massive financial heist requires intricate coordination within the county's financial architecture. Arrested alongside the MCA were Mohamud Dubow Korane, the former director of accounting services, and Yussuf Bethe Ali, the ex-senior principal economist of the county. Their alleged involvement highlights a deeply entrenched culture of impunity where gatekeepers of public funds become the very architects of their depletion.

Furthermore, the EACC noted a chilling disregard for procurement laws. There was absolutely no budgetary provision or approved procurement plan for the purported emergency relief supplies during the initial financial year of the fraud. This blatant bypass of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) protocols raises serious questions about the efficacy of digital safeguards when human operators actively collude to override them.

The Devastating Human Cost

The theft of relief funds in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) is not merely a white-collar crime; it is a direct assault on human survival. The missing KSh 51.4 million translates to severe, tangible suffering on the ground.

• Thousands of malnourished children were deprived of vital supplementary feeding programs during a critical drought phase.
• Desperate pastoralist families lost their livestock due to the failure of the phantom water trucking services.
• Local economies, already decimated by climate extremes, were further starved of legitimate government investment.
• Public trust in the devolved governance structure continues to erode, breeding resentment among marginalized communities.

Accountability on Trial

As the suspects await their day in court, the spotlight turns to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to secure a conviction that can serve as a potent deterrent. The Garissa case is a litmus test for the anti-graft agency's ability to not only arrest but successfully prosecute high-ranking county officials who treat public coffers as personal ATMs.

For the residents of Garissa, the arrests offer a glimmer of hope that the era of untouchable political barons might be waning. However, true justice will only be realized when the stolen millions are recovered and channeled back into building climate-resilient infrastructure for the communities that were so callously robbed.

The message from the EACC is unambiguous: stealing from the starving is a crime that the state will pursue with relentless vigor, regardless of the political stature of the perpetrators.