EACC has unearthed a major bribery syndicate reportedly run by officials at the Kenya Institute of Highways and Building Technology (KIHBT) Kisii Campus in collaboration with National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) examiners. The Commission conducted a sweeping operation on November 28, 2025, following reports that instructors were soliciting cash bribes to guarantee students a pass in NTSA test-drive exams.
EACC officers raided the Kisii training facility and also searched the homes of three officials from KIHBT and NTSA after securing court-issued search warrants. The operation targeted a suspected network of instructors who have allegedly turned the Plant Operation Department into a cash-for-certificates enterprise.
Bribes for Guaranteed Passing Marks
According to EACC, investigations established that two KIHBT instructors identified as Philip Dawa and Fidel Omondi have been running the syndicate. Students preparing for their test-drive exams were reportedly forced to pay a mandatory Ksh 3,100 “facilitation fee”, which was collected in cash.
EACC says students who refused to pay were automatically failed, while those who complied sometimes received passing marks without taking the actual practical tests. The Commission further revealed that the bribe money was allegedly shared between the instructors and NTSA examiners responsible for administering the driving tests.
Illegal Fee Collection Scheme
In addition to bribery linked to exams, the investigation uncovered a parallel scheme in which instructors directly collected school fees in cash or through personal mobile numbers, contrary to KIHBT regulations. The institute requires all payments, including the mandatory Ksh 65,000 tuition fee and Ksh 1,050 registration fee, to be made solely through its official pay bill number.
However, EACC found that students who paid instructors directly were charged Ksh 40,000, far below the approved fee structure. The Commission believes this system operated as an internal black market that diverted significant institutional revenue into private pockets.
The investigators also found some questionable mobile money transactions attributed to the two instructors. Philip Dawa is said to have transacted more than Ksh 34 million in the past three years using the two M-Pesa numbers, while Fidel Omondi recorded Ksh 8 million within the same period.
Arrest and Seizure of Evidence
During the raid, EACC arrested Fidel Omondi, who was found with Ksh 171,000 in cash tucked inside an envelope in his jacket. Officers also seized several pieces of evidence, including documents and electronic devices believed to be crucial to the investigation.
Omondi was processed at the Kisii Police Station and is being held pending the completion of further investigations.
EACC Calls for Public Support
The EACC said it remains committed to the dismantling of bribery networks at public institutions that undermine service delivery. It urged Kenyans to report all corruption and unethical conduct on its toll-free number, 1551, or any of its regional offices.
The anti-graft body said that tackling corruption in the learning and licensing institutions remains one of the key priority areas, noting that such schemes compromise the integrity of training and endanger road safety.
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