Civil societies' boss freed on Ksh.100K cash bail in Ksh.3M extortion case

Peter Odhiambo Agoro, the Chairperson of the Consortium of Civil Societies in Kenya, who was arrested on Tuesday over the alleged extortion of Ksh.3 million from a State corporation CEO, has been released after paying a Ksh.100,000 cash bail at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Agoro was arrested by EACC detectives at a city hotel on Tuesday, after he allegedly received the first installment of Ksh.1.5 million.

This after he had reportedly accepted the complainant’s plea to reduce the total amount to Ksh.2 million to be paid in two instalments; Ksh.1.5 million on Tuesday and Ksh.500,000 at a later date.

The State corporation CEO, whom EACC did not identify, notified the commission of the matter.

EACC Spokesperson Eric Ngumbi said Agoro demanded the bribe “as an inducement and facilitation fee so as not to pursue and publicize accusations of procurement malpractices he claimed to have against the parastatal CEO.”

The civil society leader, who recorded a statement at EACC headquarters, however denied the allegations, claiming his arrest was meant to silence activists speaking out against corruption.

Agoro has been directed to appear before the EACC in two weeks.

Ngumbi, while confirming Agoro's release on Wednesday, said investigations are still ongoing regarding the case and that once the file is ready, it will be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

He likewise warned some rogue civil society actors whom he accuses of abusing their positions by obtaining information and using it to blackmail government officials for monetary gain, stating that the commission will probe all such cases and take action against the culprits.