The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has launched an extensive investigation into widespread allegations of bribery and extortion at the Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT) Kisii Campus.
The operation, conducted on November 28 ,2025 after securing search warrants, targeted the institution and the residences of three officials from KIHBT and the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA).
According to EACC, investigators were acting on credible complaints implicating instructors in the Plant Operation Department in a bribery scheme involving students preparing for NTSA-administered test-drive examinations.
It is alleged that students were compelled to pay a “facilitation” fee to secure a pass, regardless of their actual performance.
Preliminary findings show that the syndicate was run by two instructors—Philip Dawa and Fidel Omondi—who are said to have demanded Ksh3,100 from each student in exchange for a guaranteed pass.
Those who refused to pay were reportedly failed automatically. In some cases, students who paid the bribe allegedly received passing grades without undergoing the required practical exams.
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The investigation further reveals that the two instructors also collected tuition fees directly from students, contrary to institutional policy that all payments be made through an official paybill number.
Students who opted to pay instructors directly were allegedly charged Ksh 40,000 instead of the mandatory Ksh 65,000, with an additional Ksh1,050 required for registration.
Financial records obtained by the EACC indicate that over the last three years, Philip Dawa received more than Ksh34 million through M-Pesa transactions across two mobile numbers.
His colleague, Fidel Omondi, reportedly transacted Ksh8 million over the same period.
During the search operation, officers recovered Ksh171,000 in cash from Fidel Omondi, found in an envelope hidden inside his jacket.
He was arrested and processed at Kisii Police Station, with further investigations ongoing.
The EACC has reaffirmed its resolve to dismantle bribery networks in public institutions and urged Kenyans to report any unethical practices through its toll-free hotline 1551 or at regional offices across the country.
By Mosoti Mogambi
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