Chief Abdirahman Shafe Yussuf of Bulla Mzuri Location in Garissa County, is facing charges for alleged extortion of money from refugees seeking service from his office.
The suspect was caught in the act during an operation mounted by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Garissa Regional Office on Thursday, May 23, 2024, following an inquiry into numerous complaints from victims.
The Chief has reportedly become notorious for bribe demands in an ongoing de-registration of fingerprints from the UNHCR system. Before permitting the process, he allegedly requires every service seeker to pay him Ksh3000 as a “consultation fee” and a further Ksh10,000 as a “facilitation fee” despite the service being free of charge.
Before the EACC intervention, all service seekers were required to first pay the illegal charges to the Chief’s accomplice operating from Motor Vehicle Registration Number KCY 656W (White Probox) parked outside the Vetting hall, as a mandatory condition for one to be processed for the service.
During the operation, the Commission recovered from the Chief Ksh139,000 believed to be part of the day’s collection and a list of 85 double-registered applicants indicating the amount paid by each.
The suspect was processed at EACC Garissa Regional Office and freed on police bond pending the finalization of the probe. The Commission condemns such despicable actions by public officers who take advantage of vulnerable service seekers to extort money from them in breach of public trust.
Service seekers and other persons visiting service delivery points are encouraged to continue exposing public officials demanding bribes in order to provide the very services they are employed to deliver.
