Fresh reports of corruption have emerged within the Kenya Prisons Service, with a whistleblower claiming that senior officials in the department's Human Resource office at the Ministry of Interior, headquartered at Harambee House in Nairobi, are presiding over a deeply entrenched graft network in which officers are allegedly required to surrender a substantial portion of their allowances to officials at the department's headquarters in exchange for favourable administrative decisions.
According to one whistleblower who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity for fear of victimization, the alleged scheme primarily targets officers receiving high-value allowances, with the complainant claiming that beneficiaries are routinely expected to surrender a portion of the funds to individuals within the Human Resource office, particularly where the payments are substantial, in some instances running into hundreds of thousands of shillings, raising serious questions about the integrity of financial administration and personnel management within the Service.
The whistleblower is calling on Prisons Commissioner General Patrick Aranduh, the EACC, DCI and the Ministry of Interior to immediately investigate the Human Resource Department and conduct a comprehensive forensic audit of staff allowance payments, saying the alleged scheme has operated unchecked for far too long.
Officers are also urging the authorities to identify those responsible, recover any misappropriated public funds and ensure that affected personnel receive their full entitlements without interference or coercion.
"Hello Cyprian. Thank you for standing with ordinary Kenyans under this merciless regime. Ministry of Interior, Prisons Department iko corruption sana. In fact, unawekewa allowance then mnashare na mtu Headquarters HR, Prisons Department. Prisons Department HR is rotten. Watu wengi wanajua hii mambo but hawaezi ongea. Hii kitu ichunguzwe officers wengi wanateseka."
This publication will continue pursuing this matter and will closely track any action taken by the relevant authorities, as questions remain over the management of staff allowances, accountability and transparency within the Kenya Prisons Service.
