EACC arrests Mombasa court assistant over alleged bribery

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission has arrested a court assistant attached to the Mombasa Law Courts over alleged bribery.

In a statement, the Commission said the suspect allegedly solicited and received a Sh10,000 bribe from a complainant in exchange for interfering with a court process.

According to investigators, the court assistant is accused of demanding the money to conceal or withhold a court file in which the complainant is an accused person in an ongoing criminal case, with the intention of delaying or frustrating the judicial process.

The arrest followed a complaint lodged with the anti-graft body on March 13, 2026.

The Commission said it conducted investigations that confirmed the existence of the bribery demand, prompting officers to set up a sting operation.

The operation was executed on March 17, 2026, during which the suspect was apprehended.

"Upon receipt of the bribery complaint on March 13, 2026, the Commission conducted preliminary investigations that confirmed the bribe demand and subsequently mounted an operation on March 17, 2026, leading to the arrest of the suspect as he received the money," the statement reads.

The EACC described the arrest as part of a broader strategy to dismantle corruption networks that undermine service delivery and the administration of justice.

Following the arrest, he was taken to the Commission’s Lower Coast Regional Office in Mombasa for processing.

He was later booked at Central Police Station, where he spent the night in custody.

Authorities have since released him on a cash bail of Sh20,000 pending the conclusion of investigations.

The move, the agency says, underscores its ongoing crackdown on corruption within the justice system.

The Commission reiterated its commitment to tackling corruption across all sectors.

The move comes days after EACC arrested a former judge over an alleged Sh10.4 million bribery scheme linked to an ongoing commercial dispute before the High Court.

In a statement, the anti-graft agency said the arrest was part of ongoing investigations into allegations that the suspects demanded USD 80,000 (about Sh10.4 million) to influence the outcome of a case involving a former Cabinet minister.

The commission said the former judge was arrested alongside an advocate of the High Court and two other suspects as detectives moved to disrupt the alleged bribery scheme.

According to the EACC, the money was allegedly solicited to interfere with proceedings in a commercial dispute currently pending before the High Court.

EACC is a public body established under Section 3(1) of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2011.

The commission is composed of a chairperson and four commissioners appointed in accordance with the Constitution and Section 4 of the EACC Act. It operates through a secretariat headed by the Secretary and chief executive officer.

EACC’s mandate is to combat and prevent corruption, economic crimes and unethical conduct in Kenya through law enforcement, prevention initiatives, public education, and the promotion of integrity and ethical standards.