EACC Raids Trans Nzoia Governor Natembeya’s Home Amid Sh1.4 Billion Corruption Investigation

High-Stakes EACC Raid Shakes Kitale

Early one chilly morning on May 19, 2025, something unusual stirred in Kitale. Officers from the EACC (Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission), flanked by heavily armed GSU police, surrounded the home of Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya. Their target? Evidence connected to a mind-boggling Sh1.4 billion corruption investigation that has gripped the local political scene for weeks.

For five tense hours, agents combed through Governor Natembeya’s residence, a process made even more dramatic by the governor’s absence. His wife, Lilian Natembeya, faced the onslaught alongside family and neighbors. Suspicion in the air, residents swarmed around the compound, demanding to see a search warrant and refusing to back down. The mounting tension quickly boiled over, and chaos erupted outside.

By the time officers pulled out, five EACC vehicles had been vandalized—their tires slashed and windows threatened. Police quickly cordoned off the compound, leaving the battered vehicles behind under armed guard. While the governor failed to make an appearance that morning, his presence loomed large in the political fallout that followed.

Political War Clouds the Graft Probe

Not long after the dust settled in Kitale, Kenya’s political fault lines came into sharp focus. Hospital Ward Representative Erick Wafula wasted no time, rallying his supporters and calling for street demonstrations. Former Defence CS Eugene Wamalwa—from the influential DAP-K party—pointed an accusatory finger toward State House. For him and his allies, the raid was a textbook case of the government turning anti-corruption tools into political weapons, targeting vocal critics of President William Ruto.

Wamalwa’s claims struck a nerve. The DAP-K party even called the operation a return to “Moi-era tactics,” a reference to Kenya’s dark years of state intimidation. Rumors spread that Governor Natembeya could soon be arrested, his outspoken opposition to the administration a possible motive behind the heavy-handed show.

EACC boss Abdi Mohamud quickly tried to stamp out the storm. He defended the raid as being within the agency's legal and constitutional powers, blasting the violence against officers as “inexcusable.” For the EACC, this was business as usual—a high-profile move to show that no one stands above the law, not even a county boss.

Yet, for many in Trans Nzoia, the spectacle left more questions than answers. Was this about corruption or political scoring? Did the EACC overstep, or was it an essential step in the fight against grand graft? The sight of armored vehicles, agitated crowds, and battered cars outside the governor’s gates set off fresh debates about the line separating state accountability and political persecution.

This standoff hasn't just rattled Kitale. It’s sent shockwaves through Kenya’s broader conversation about how power, justice, and politics play off each other in a country still haunted by old wounds and looking for new ways to keep leaders honest.