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A whistleblower has accused the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) of financial misconduct, procurement fraud and staff intimidation under Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu, calling on donors to freeze funding.
The report, addressed to the IGAD chair, member states and development partners, alleges the Djibouti-based secretariat has progressively dismantled oversight mechanisms while centralising authority in a small group of loyalists, turning isolated administrative concerns into a pattern of institutional failure.
Beyond procurement, the whistleblower accuses the secretariat of diverting donor funds meant for regional programmes to unrelated expenditures benefiting senior officials, and of running excessive spending on travel, hospitality and personal procurement.
At the centre of the allegations is the construction of IGAD's new headquarters in Djibouti, where the whistleblower claims more than $17 million has been spent, with substantial loans allegedly secured from commercial banks without formal authorisation from member states.
"These issues point to a Secretariat increasingly operating outside established accountability frameworks, where critical decisions are centralised in a small circle of individuals and oversight mechanisms are weakened," the whistleblower states.
The report further alleges that vehicles procured under the headquarters project and registered under IGAD's tax-exempt status were removed from Djibouti and are being used by Gebeyehu and members of his family.
It also claims a close relative of the executive secretary was involved in the procurement and importation of construction materials, raising concerns about conflicts of interest.
On staffing, the report alleges that recruitment processes have increasingly favoured family members and associates over qualified candidates, with arbitrary salary grading, non-competitive hiring and unequal treatment of employees.
Staff welfare has deteriorated, the report claims, with IGAD accumulating unpaid salaries of between seven and eight months, outstanding vendor payments and a depleted gratuity fund that has left separated employees unable to access their benefits.
The whistleblower also describes a hostile working environment.
"Staff members face intimidation, retaliation, forced transfers and exclusion for expressing concerns or questioning irregular practices," the report states.
Pushing back on IGAD's public narrative around its financial difficulties, the report argues that internal mismanagement, not just irregular member-state contributions, may be driving the institution's fiscal crisis.
"The repeated narrative that the organisation's current financial crisis is solely attributable to member states' irregular contributions is misleading," the report states.
To address the concerns, the whistleblower recommends an emergency meeting of IGAD policy organs, an independent forensic audit of the headquarters project, immediate payment of salary arrears and the establishment of an independent audit committee.
It also calls on development partners to suspend further funding until an independent investigation is conducted and corrective measures implemented.
IGAD did not respond to a request for comment. Gebeyehu, an Ethiopian national and former foreign minister, has served as executive secretary since November 2019.
IGAD comprises eight member states: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Uganda.
