The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has nabbed a court officer who reportedly solicited and received a cash bribe.
Moses Gitonga Mucheke reportedly received a KsH50,000 bribe to compromise a defilement case.
Gitonga is based at Marimanti Law Courts in Tharaka Nithi County.
According to the Kenyan constitution, defilement of a minor attracts a life in prison sentence.
https://twitter.com/EACCKenya/status/1181921795311591424
The EACC said that Gitonga received the said bribe from the brother of the man facing defilement charges.
Corruption has been termed as one of the biggest hindrances to progress in Kenya, with government officials regularly being put on the spot for bribery, solicitation and theft of public resources.
The EACC is the official body charged with prevention of corruption crimes across all government processes.
Last week, a bill proposing tough punitive measures for individuals found culpable of corrupt acts was shot down in parliament.
The Anti-corruption and Economic Crimes Bill, 2019, sponsored by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, proposed a minimum jail term of 10 years and a minimum fine of Ksh1 million.
Members of Parliament heavily opposed the proposition, also frowned upon by the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee in parliament, which termed the law as restrictive to judges who are responsible for handing down sentences after conviction.