Man arrested for impersonating EACC deputy director to con Kenyans

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a man suspected of being a serial fraudster.

The suspect allegedly has been defrauding Kenyans while posing as the EACC's deputy director of intelligence operations.

The suspect, Kennedy Ochieng Agutu, was arrested in South C where two fake staff ID cards for EACC were recovered and an entity called Kenya Network Against Corruption (Director - Intelligence & Data Survey), under the suspect's name was found.

In a statement, EACC Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi confirmed the arrest saying the suspect had been extorting millions of shillings from unsuspecting victims, including senior state officials.

He said the suspect was arrested following investigations into numerous complaints from victims of extortion.

The commission said the suspect pretended to be carrying out corruption investigations implicating them, which he promised to 'sort out'.

The anti-corruption body has noted an increase in the number of fraudsters posing as its detectives.

Mr Ngumbi said that in 2024 alone, the commission has recorded over 350 cases of fake detectives defrauding Kenyans while pretending to be EACC officers or other law enforcement agencies on official duty.

"Some fraudsters, especially in Kakamega, Bungoma and Busia counties, have set up fake EACC offices and are offering the commission's services for a fee," he added.

He added that some impersonators are issuing fake EACC Integrity Clearance Certificates to job seekers for a fee, a service normally provided by the Commission free of charge.

"Others purport to carry out investigations, arrests and searches on their targets and then demand huge bribes promising to skew the investigations in their favour or waive possible criminal charges," Mr Ngumbi explained.

In a similar vein, the EACC said some enter people's business premises claiming they are inspecting for compliance with various licensing requirements or for counterfeit goods.

Ngumbi encouraged Kenyans who come across suspicious people to always inform the EACC and avoid falling into such fraudulent traps.