A senior official at the Busia Lands Registry has been arrested in a dramatic anti-graft sting after he was allegedly caught demanding and receiving a Ksh10,000 bribe.
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) confirmed on Wednesday that Busia Land Registrar Collins Aiela Liyayi was nabbed on Tuesday, September 23, after he allegedly withheld a processed title deed and demanded cash to release it.
According to investigators, the registrar had already completed the processing of the complainant’s title deed but refused to hand it over until a “release fee” was paid. The complainant reported the matter, triggering a sting operation by EACC’s Western Regional Office.
“The suspect demanded and received a bribe of Ksh10,000 from the complainant in order to release a title deed he had processed but withheld pending payment,” EACC said in a statement.
Liyayi was taken to the EACC Western Regional Office in Bungoma for processing before being booked at Bungoma Police Station. He is expected to be arraigned in court to face bribery charges.
EACC revealed that the arrest followed multiple complaints from Busia residents, who accused the registrar of routinely withholding title deeds until bribes were paid.
The anti-graft agency stressed that the operation forms part of a wider crackdown on corruption in public service delivery.
“The Commission will continue to scale up intelligence gathering and surveillance targeting public institutions that provide essential services and are prone to bribery,” the agency said.
The case adds to a growing list of corruption-related arrests in recent weeks. Earlier this month, EACC arrested three Kenya Power employees in Nairobi for allegedly soliciting bribes ranging from Ksh10,000 to Ksh200,000 to alter bills and reconnect power.
The crackdown signals renewed pressure on public officers accused of turning essential services into private cash cows at the expense of ordinary citizens.
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