EACC arrests Turkana nurse, co-director over alleged Sh2.76m county contracts

ELDORET, Kenya, October 14 — The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has arrested a Turkana County government nurse and his business co-director over alleged conflict of interest in county contracts worth Sh2.76 million.

The suspects, Gilbert Suleiman Eskuku, a registered nurse employed by the county government, and Abass Abdi Yusuf, were arrested following investigations into contracts allegedly awarded to Ekwang Suppliers Company Limited between 2017 and 2021.

According to the EACC, investigations established that Eskuku used the company, in which he was a director alongside Yusuf, to secure contracts and receive payments from the county government while serving as a public employee.

“Investigations further established that Eskuku immediately withdrew the payments in cash, allegedly to conceal the source of the funds,” the EACC said.

The contracts resulted in payments totaling Sh2,763,681, the commission said.

Following the investigations, the EACC forwarded the inquiry file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who approved charges against the two suspects and the company.

The suspects are expected to face charges including conflict of interest, money laundering and acquisition of proceeds of crime.

The two were being processed at the EACC North Rift Regional Office in Eldoret ahead of their planned arraignment before the Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday.

The commission said it would also institute civil proceedings to recover the public funds and seek forfeiture of assets established to have been acquired using proceeds of crime.

The arrests come as the commission urges public institutions to strengthen safeguards against conflicts of interest in public procurement.

The EACC called on state organs and public entities to comply with the Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, by introducing effective measures for declaring, managing and preventing conflicts of interest among public officers.

​Bruhan Makong is a Senior News Reporter for Capital FM in Nairobi, covering diplomacy, foreign policy, national security, climate, and human rights across East Africa and the wider region.