EACC vehicles vandalised as angry protesters resist Natembeya’s arrest
Transnzoia County residents have vandalised the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) vehicles outside Governor George Natembeya’s home, protesting his arrest.
The protestors deflated the tyres of the vehicles after the governor was arrested on Monday, May 19, 2025, over accusations of embezzlement of county funds.
According to the governor’s lawyer, Ndegwa Njiru, he was presented at the EACC headquarters in Nairobi on Monday morning for a statement recording.
In a statement on X, Njiru stated that the county’s administrator’s legal team had been denied access to him.
“Governor Natembeya arrested. Currently at EACC, Advocates barred by the EACC officers from accessing the client,” he stated.
The Commission says it is investigating claims of procurement irregularities, abuse of office and bribery linked to the fraudulent acquisition of Ksh1.4 billion.
The said irregularities are believed to have occurred in the 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 financial years.
EACC says that the incidents relate to three major county projects, among them the rehabilitation and modernisation of Kenyatta Stadium (Phase 1A), the construction of the county headquarters offices and the construction of Tom Mboya Hospital.
The Commission is therefore conducting a search operation, targeting offices and residences of various persons of interest, including Natembeya’s.
“The Governor is alleged to have influenced the award of tenders and received kickbacks from contractors through proxies,” EACC said.
Nzoia Sugar company lease
His arrest comes after top political leaders from Western Kenya led a massive protest against the government’s decision to lease Nzoia Sugar Company to controversial businessman Jaswant Rai on May 12, 2025.
The demonstration, which brought the Webuye-Malava highway to a standstill, descended into chaos after police fired teargas and live rounds into the air to disperse the crowds.
The protest, spearheaded by Democratic Action Party–Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, and politician Cleophas Malala, drew hundreds of sugarcane farmers and residents from across the region.
Demonstrators decried what they called an illegal and forceful takeover of a key regional economic lifeline, despite a court order issued on April 23 halting the lease of the state-owned miller to Rai’s West Kenya Sugar Company.
“This is defiance of a court order. We are here to say, Rai, if you have disregarded the law, you are persona non grata—do not set foot in Nzoia Sugar,” declared Wamalwa.
Governor Natembeya, a vocal critic of the lease, accused the government of orchestrating a sell-off of public assets under the guise of privatisation.
