Nairobi: The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) recovered corruptly acquired assets worth approximately Sh3.6 billion during the 2025/2026 financial year, an official has said.
According to Kenya News Agency, the commission also recovered a further Sh3.4 billion in the 2024/2025 financial year and disrupted attempts to steal or misuse more than Sh40 billion in public funds. EACC Preventive Service Director Vincent Okongo stated that the anti-graft agency had recovered more than Sh30 billion worth of corruptly acquired assets over the past decade. Okongo mentioned that the commission was actively pursuing hundreds of billions of shillings in unexplained wealth and asset recovery cases before the courts.
He emphasized that enhanced disruption efforts had helped prevent major losses and misuse of public resources before they occurred, attributing the progress to strengthened enforcement and improved intelligence operations across the country. Speaking during an EACC engagement forum in Mombasa, Okongo also highlighted that the commission had fortified preventive measures by examining public institutions and identifying weaknesses that create opportunities for corruption to thrive.
He explained that EACC conducted corruption risk assessments in 16 county governments during the last financial year and issued recommendations aimed at strengthening internal systems to prevent the loss of public resources. ‘We don’t just come and talk; we also come back to assure that things have been done,’ Okongo stated, noting that the EACC prevention team had returned to Mombasa to verify whether recommendations made after an earlier corruption risk assessment had been implemented by the devolved government.
The commission, he explained, was shifting towards empowering county governments to conduct their own corruption risk assessments, with EACC monitoring implementation and assessing whether there was adequate leadership commitment to fighting corruption. ‘Corruption prevention is one of the performance contracting annual targets on which public institutions are supposed to report progress on a quarterly basis to EACC,’ he added.
Okongo revealed that the commission was targeting 436 cases for finalization in the current financial year and planned to recover approximately Sh2.4 billion while expanding its preventive programs to more counties. He encouraged members of the public, particularly women and young people, to take a more active role in the fight against corruption instead of leaving the responsibility to public agencies.
He further mentioned that EACC was strengthening anti-corruption education in schools in partnership with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD), with programs targeting learners in primary and secondary schools as well as universities. The commission was exploring collaboration with the Scout Movement to promote peer-to-peer learning among young people, particularly ahead of the 2027 General Election. Okongo stated that the initiative would help young people understand the importance of electing leaders of integrity and taking an active role in shaping the country’s democratic future.
Meanwhile, EACC Deputy Director of Budgeting and Planning Willis Wasala disclosed that the commission had finalized 178 investigation files for possible action by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) during the last financial year. Wasala cautioned that the figure was provisional because the commission was still finalizing and cleaning data for its annual report. He explained that the 178 files represented cases that had gone through the complete investigation process, while many others remained at different stages of investigation.
Wasala reported that preliminary figures showed EACC had traced and recovered approximately Sh3.6 billion in corruptly and illegally acquired assets during the period. For the current 2026/2027 financial year, he said the commission had set a target of finalizing 436 cases and recovering or preserving approximately Sh4.5 billion worth of illegally acquired or unexplained assets. He added that EACC was also seeking views from members of the public on priorities that should inform its programs and budget for the coming financial year.
Wasala emphasized that the Mombasa engagement was not merely a consultation after the budget had already been prepared but an opportunity for residents and stakeholders to influence areas where anti-corruption resources should be directed. He urged residents to submit proposals on interventions they believed would have the greatest impact in reducing corruption in the Coast region. The engagement comes as EACC seeks to combine investigations, asset recovery, public education, and preventive measures to reduce corruption and protect public resources. Officials stated that strengthening institutions and involving citizens in the fight against corruption remained critical, noting that effective prevention could help address corruption before public funds and assets were lost.
