Ex-Homa Bay officials ordered to refund Sh708,664 in double-salary case.

Nairobi, Kenya — The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has issued a High Court order compelling two ex-officials from Homa Bay County Government to reimburse Sh708,664 allegedly acquired via double salary payments. A ruling issued on September 18 mandates former county worker Evelyne Adhiambo Ogweno and former payroll administrator Maurice Ochieng Wambo to repay the funds to the Government of Kenya.

Ogweno, who once served as a medical social worker at Ndiru Hospital Centre in Rangwe Sub-County, received supplementary salaries between February 2015 and May 2018, as per the EACC. The commission claims these additional payments, facilitated through the county payroll system, equaled Sh708,664 over a period exceeding three years.

Consequently, the EACC initiated a recovery lawsuit against Ogweno and three former county payroll officials to reclaim the monies. "This action stems from investigations into the payment of multiple salaries to current and former employees of the Homa Bay County Government," stated the EACC. According to the commission, the probes revealed that Sh42.25 million was potentially misappropriated through the county's payroll system.

The EACC has since pursued multiple recovery cases resulting from the investigations and is also pursuing the prosecution of public officials believed to bear the most responsibility for the alleged payroll fraud.