There was drama in Mathare slums, Nairobi on Wednesday, when a suspect threw money into a crowd in a desperate attempt to evade officers from Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
The incident happened during a sting operation to arrest the Assistant County Commissioner for Roysambu Division in Nairobi, Mercy Kavoi, and her agent David Musyoki.
Ms Kavoi and Mr Musyoki had been accused of soliciting a Sh.50,000 bribe from a Mathare slum trader.
The EACC said it received a complaint on June 9, that Ms Kavoi demanded the bribe in exchange for construction materials that she had confiscated during the demolition of the complainant’s structure.
It is said that the assistant commissioner, working in cahoots with a local Chief, coordinated the demolition of the structure in Mathare North. They claimed it had been constructed on a road reserve, and confiscated the iron sheets, window frames and other construction materials in Ms Kavoi’s office.
After receiving the complaint, the EACC launched undercover investigations and laid a trap to catch the suspect in the act.
A meeting was arranged at Assistant County Commissioner’s office, where the complainant pleaded for leniency and requested a reduction in the bribe amount.
Kavoi reportedly agreed to decrease the demand to Sh25,000, with the condition that the payment be made promptly and in its entirety.
They also agreed the bribe would be collected and delivered through Kavoi’s agent, Mr Musyoki.
Without the suspects’ knowledge, EACC officers had been monitoring the progress of the deal. They moved in to arrest Musyoki as he received the money.
In an unexpected turn of events, Musyoka tried to flee, throwing the Sh25000 to members of the public in Mathare.
Chaos erupted, with residents scrambling to grab a share of the bribe, and Musyoka taking to his heels within Mathare slums.
However, the officers caught up with him; they also arrested assistant commissioner Kavoi and escorted them to the EACC Integrity Centre Police Station.
Kavoi was granted bail pending a recommendation of appropriate charges to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). On the other hand, Musyoki, unable to pay the bail amount, was escorted to Kilimani Police Station.
