Serious allegations of corruption and misconduct have emerged within the Ministry of East African Community (EAC), Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs), with senior officials accused of mismanaging funds allocated for relief food distribution under special programmes.
The two key figures at the center of these claims are Dr. Beatrice Askul, the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for the Ministry, and Kerow Harsama, the Principal Secretary (PS) for the State Department for ASALs.
According to sources, the allocation of relief food meant for the arid and semi-arid regions has been manipulated into a cartel-like business controlled by these high-ranking officials.
The allegations suggest that suppliers are being awarded contracts to provide basic food items such as beans and rice at inflated prices.
Sources claim that unless suppliers comply with these inflated rates and make payments, they are barred from supplying the food to the government.
This situation raises compelling concerns about the integrity of the tendering process and the proper use of public funds intended for vulnerable communities.
Further adding weight to these concerns is the assertion that PS Kerow Harsama has allegedly allocated more than 80% of relief food supplies to suppliers from his home region of Marsabit.
It is believed that Harsama is trying to secure political support ahead of his anticipated gubernatorial bid for Marsabit in the 2027 elections, which he is allegedly using as leverage to win votes through preferential treatment in government contracts.
The claims of financial mismanagement and preferential allocation are set against a backdrop of an executive order issued by the President on March 20, 2025, transferring the special programmes from the Ministry of East African Community, ASALs, and Regional Development to the Ministry of Public Service.
According to insiders, PS Kerow Harsama has expressed dissatisfaction with the decision and has been actively lobbying to reverse it.
He is reported to have visited political leaders, including Raila Odinga, using financial resources to influence the reversal of the executive order, further raising concerns about potential misuse of public funds for political purposes.
The situation has attracted the attention of the public, with many calling for an investigation into these matters by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Auditor General’s Office, and the Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts.
“Hi Cyprian. Hope you’re well. I would like to expose a rot at the Ministry of East African and ASALs. Starting with the CS her self, Dr. Beatrice Askul and the PS for State Department for ASALs, Kerow Harsama. The allocation for relief food under special programmes is meant to be distributed across arid and semi arid areas but has turned out to be a huge cartel business being controlled by the above named bosses. A bag of beans is being awarded to the suppliers at 2,000 kshs and rice at 1,000 kshs per bag and if you don’t pay, you’re not allowed to supply. EACC should investigate this. The PS has given more than 80% allocation to his people from Marsabit. He wants to win their votes as he plans to vie for governor come 2027. The president gave an executive order on 20/03/2025 and moved the special programmes to ministry of public service. However, it’s been rumoured that Kerow Harsama hasn’t liked this decision and is busy moving around with cash in powerful corridors, like last week he visited Raila, lobbying to have the executive order reversed. Kindly expose this people and shame them for the corrupt individuals that they are. Please also hide my ID. Thank you and continue with the good work.”
