EACC Recovers Sh7.4bn in Three Years, Blocks Sh10.7bn in Potential Losses
NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 23 – The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has recovered assets valued at approximately Sh7.4 billion and prevented potential financial losses of about Sh10.7 billion over the past three years through proactive investigations.
EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud said the recoveries reflect strengthened institutional efforts to dismantle corruption networks and protect public resources.
He spoke on Thursday during the opening of the East African Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities (EAAACA) Anti-Corruption Conference and the 16th Annual General Meeting at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi.
The forum brought together anti-corruption agencies from across Eastern Africa, senior government officials, and development partners.
Attendees included Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu, President of EAAACA and Inspector General of Government of Uganda, Lady Justice Naluze Aisha Batala alongside regional counterparts.
According to the Commission, key recoveries in recent years include 56 acres of land belonging to the Meteorological Department, valued at about USD 38.68 million (Sh5 billion).
The land is currently being utilised for the development of 13,264 affordable housing units under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
Other recoveries include 4.8 acres of land at Hobley Estate in Buxton, Mombasa, valued at Sh1.4 billion and earmarked for 720 social housing units; Karura Forest land (Nairobi Block 91/386), measuring 17.57 acres and valued at Sh2.8 billion, contributing to the preservation of urban green space; and Chale Island in Kwale County, a 32-acre parcel valued at Sh1.2 billion, associated with cultural heritage conservation and the blue economy.
Mohamud, who also serves as Vice President of EAAACA, said corruption has increasingly evolved into a sophisticated transnational enterprise requiring coordinated regional and international responses.
“Corruption is no longer a localized, petty offense confined within national boundaries. It has become a sophisticated, transnational enterprise,” he said.
“Economic crimes today involve complex webs of illicit financial flows, shell companies, and digital footprints that leap across jurisdictions in seconds.”
He called on anti-corruption bodies in the region to move beyond formal cooperation frameworks toward “seamless cooperation” anchored on intelligence sharing, mutual legal assistance, and joint asset recovery operations.
Mohamud noted that the recovered and preserved assets demonstrate how enforcement action can directly support national development priorities, including affordable housing, environmental conservation, and sustainable economic growth.
He emphasized the need for deeper operational coordination among regional agencies to enhance effectiveness in combating corruption.
“We must transition from occasional consultation to seamless cooperation,” he said.
“When we speak in one voice and act in one accord, we send a clear message to the cartels of corruption: The region is closed for business.”
The conference also underscored commitments under the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (AUCPCC), with delegates calling for faster mutual legal assistance processes and strengthened cross-border asset tracing mechanisms.