Two senior officials from Kisii County Assembly, Deputy Clerk Daniel Mbaka and former Speaker David Kombo, have been arrested by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over irregular recruitment involving nepotism. The arrests were made following investigations that revealed Mbaka had unlawfully hired his niece on or around October 24, 2017, as a clerical officer. The hiring was done without the knowledge or involvement of the Kisii County Public Service Board and ignored all laid down recruitment procedures.
EACC further revealed that the same niece was later irregularly appointed as the Speaker’s Personal Assistant (PA) on permanent and pensionable terms. This appointment was a violation of the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) regulations, which only allow Speakers to appoint personal staff on a contractual basis. By allowing this appointment, former Speaker David Kombo is accused of using his office to confer an unlawful benefit to the Deputy Clerk’s niece.
The matter came to light in a report released on Tuesday, April 8, 2025. Daniel Mbaka was arraigned before the Kisii Law Court on Monday, April 7, where he denied charges of abuse of office. He was released on a cash bail of Ksh 50,000 or a bond of Ksh 100,000 with a surety. David Kombo, who was expected in court on Tuesday, failed to appear. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) has since issued a summons requiring him to attend court to answer to similar charges.
The case adds to a worrying trend of nepotism in county governments. Just last month, on March 3, EACC arrested four former officials from neighboring Nyamira County for illegally hiring 56 people in the Department of Gender, Youth, Culture, and Social Services. The appointments, which took place during the 2016/2017 financial year, were not approved by the County Executive and had no budgetary backing.
The EACC continues to urge public officials to uphold integrity, transparency, and adherence to proper recruitment procedures to avoid misuse of office and to promote fairness in public service employment.