EACC arrests two Mumias Level 4 hospital staff over alleged bribe in tender payment

Mumias level four hospital worker serving food to corona virus patient on June 18, 2021. [File, Standard]

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested two Mumias Level Four Hospital staff for allegedly soliciting a Sh200,000 bribe to facilitate the payment of supplied medical equipment.

William Mmasava, a supply chain officer, and Linet Kavaya, a biomedical engineer at the health facility, allegedly solicited and received bribes to facilitate payment for medical equipment lawfully supplied to the hospital.

According to the Commission, it launched investigations after receiving a report from a complainant whose company had supplied the hospital with an X-ray scanner valued at Sh1.4 million.

The hospital had agreed to make payment in three instalments and had already settled the first payment of Sh500,000 on April 17, 2025.

However, on May 8, 2025, the complainant was contacted by a senior official from the facility who allegedly demanded a bribe of Sh400,000 to facilitate the release of the second installment of Sh650,000.

According to the EACC documents, the following day, the complainant met with an administrator at the facility, who reiterated the demand.

Though the hospital deposited the second instalment into the supplier's KCB account, access to the funds was restricted, and the complainant continued to receive coercive calls from the suspects demanding a bribe before the payment could be accessed.

Following the report, EACC investigators mounted an operation on Wednesday that resulted in the arrest of two shortly after they received a bribe of Sh200,000 from the complainant.

The two suspects were escorted to EACC's Western Regional Office in Bungoma for processing and were later booked at Bungoma Police Station, where they are being held pending further investigations.

EACC reiterated that it remains focused on addressing bribery at service delivery points and encourages members of the public to report any unethical conduct through the Commission's toll-free hotline 1551 or at any of its regional offices nationwide.