3 suspects arrested for selling government textbooks with school stamps

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) officials on Friday arrested three people for allegedly stealing government textbooks in Malindi.

The suspects are believed to be behind a syndicate that steals public textbooks and sell them to private schools.

President Uhuru Kenyatta had issued a directive to crackdown people misusing public books.

Acting on a tip off, the officials raided a private school Mary’s Junior in Muyeye and arrested the three, The Star reports.

North Coast EACC manager Gichangi Njeru confirmed the arrest. Njeru said they conducted a search at the school and recovered dozens of government textbooks.

Some of the books he said have stamps of public schools within Kilifi county. He added that they also searched the home of the suspects and recovered more books.

“The suspects were taken to the EACC offices for interrogations to assist in the ongoing investigations,’’ Njeru said.

He asked members of the public to report any kind of suspicious business being conducted within schools.

Students and parents have been complaining that some schools have less or no facilities in terms of books yet the government purchases annually.