Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi is under renewed scrutiny following Tuesday’s raid by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), as attention turns to a controversial shift in the county’s payment system that may have paved the way for large-scale fraud.
EACC detectives stormed Wamatangi’s office and residence on April 15, targeting him and nine other senior county officials in an ongoing investigation into alleged embezzlement and conflict of interest. But at the center of the scandal is a decision made months earlier to abandon the county’s automated payroll system in favor of a manual one.
In February 2024, Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thang’wa raised alarm over the change, warning that the manual system had become a breeding ground for ghost workers and untraceable payments. The senator claimed that at least Ksh390 million had been siphoned from county coffers under this opaque setup.
Political pressure has been building for months, with leaders questioning the motive behind dismantling a transparent, automated process in favor of one that left little paper trail. Wamatangi, who came into office after the dramatic fall of Ferdinand Waititu currently serving time over a Ksh588 million graft case is now facing similar corruption headwinds.
