Busia residents can breathe a sigh of relief after anti-graft detectives swooped in on a senior lands official accused of turning public service into a cash-minting machine.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) on Tuesday afternoon arrested Busia County Land Registrar, Collins Aiela Liyayi, after he was allegedly caught red-handed demanding a Sh10,000 bribe to release a processed title deed.
Investigators say the registrar had perfected the art of withholding documents until desperate residents coughed up what he called “release fees.”
Complaints from the public painted a picture of a well-oiled racket at the Busia Lands Registry, where getting a title deed meant parting with extra cash.
“The Land Registrar had made it routine to withhold titles processed for members of the public before demanding bribes to release them,” EACC said in a statement.
The sting operation, coordinated by EACC’s Western Regional Office, saw Liyayi whisked off to Bungoma for processing before being booked at Bungoma Police Station. He is set to face grilling and possible charges.
This latest arrest adds to the long list of land offices tainted by corruption, delays, and backroom deals that have frustrated Kenyans for years.
EACC has vowed to tighten the noose on crooked officials, warning that more arrests are looming in the lands sector and other public offices notorious for graft.
The commission urged citizens to keep blowing the whistle on bribery to ensure they get services without paying “hidden fees.”
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