EACC probes Bungoma County’s Ksh.3.7 million Christmas tree lighting

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has launched investigations into the Bungoma County Government over the lighting of a Christmas tree at a cost of Ksh.3.7 million, preceded by a benchmarking trip to Uganda by 22 Members of the County Assembly that cumulatively cost taxpayers over Ksh.6.5 million.

The probe comes days after the Senate Public Accounts Committee invited the anti-graft agency to investigate alleged misuse of public funds by the county government following queries raised by the Auditor General.

During the grilling of Governor Kenneth Lusaka last Thursday, senators flagged the expenditure of Ksh.3,689,000 used to facilitate the Christmas tree lighting event in September 2019, three months before Christmas. The funds were allegedly withdrawn from a county vote through a fictitious imprest.

According to letters seen by Citizen Digital dated February 9, 2026, and signed by EACC Western Regional Manager Eric Ngumbi on behalf of CEO Abdi Mohamud, the EACC formally notified both the Clerk of the County Assembly and the County Secretary of the investigations.

“The Commission, pursuant to its constitutional and statutory mandate as set out in Article 252(1)(a) and (d) of the Constitution and Section 11 of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Act, 2011, is investigating allegations of corruption, fraud, and theft of public funds through fictitious imprest for a benchmarking trip by Members of the Bungoma County Assembly and senior officials of the County Executive to Mbale, Uganda, and subsequent lighting of a Christmas tree at the Governor's Office at a total cost of KES.6,569,000 during the financial years 2019/2020–2020/2021," stated Ngumbi.

The Commission has directed the Clerk to urgently furnish certified copies of personal files for 16 Members of the County Assembly and six staff members who served during the period under review.

Among those listed are Joan Lutukai, Everline Mutiembu, Joan Kirong, Francis Chemion, Stephen Wafula, James Mukhono, Florence Wekesa, Joseph Nyongesa, Jack Wambulwa, Hillary Kiptalam, Erick Wapangana, Henry Majimbo Okumu, Violet Makhanu, Luke Opwora, Tonny Barasa and Sospeter Nyongesa.

Assembly staff named in the letter include Clerk to the Assembly John Mosongo, Principal Clerk Assistant Tome Francis, Principal Legal Counsel Ignatius Wangila, Hansard Officer Carolyne Wamalwa, Commissionaire Benedict Kimwei and Driver Kennedy Taracha.

The County Government has been ordered to produce original documents relating to the Uganda trip and Christmas celebrations, including requisitions from user departments, approved and supplementary budgets for the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 financial years, imprest warrants, imprest surrender vouchers, imprest cashbooks, cash books and bank deposit slips to imprest beneficiaries.

The Commission has also demanded personal files for Sub-County Administrator Festus Juma and Ward Administrator George Makokha, as well as all correspondence, including email trails, related to the matter.

The requested documents are to be submitted to the Commission’s Western Regional Office in Bungoma by February 16, 2026, as investigations into the controversial expenditure gather pace.