NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 5 – Suspended Nairobi County Chief Officer for Urban Development and Planning Patrick Analo has been released a day following his arrest in a raid by EACC detectives.
Analo was freed on Friday on a cash bail of Sh500,000 as investigations into corruption, unexplained wealth and money laundering intensify following the recovery of more than Sh65 million in cash during Thursday’s raid at his Syokimau residence.
The County official who spent Thursday night in custody at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) police station, was grilled by investigators before being processed and released pending completion of investigations.
His wife, who was also arrested during the operation, had earlier been released on a Sh100,000 cash bail on Thursday.
The latest developments came as Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja moved swiftly to suspend Analo from office and ordered a sweeping restructuring of the county’s urban planning approval system following recommendations by the anti-graft agency.
In a letter addressed to Nairobi County Secretary Godfrey Akumali Atiel, EACC Chief Executive Officer Abdi Mohamud directed that Analo be suspended for six months to facilitate investigations.
“The officer is being investigated for various offences including conflict of interest, bribery, abuse of office, unexplained wealth, unlawful acquisition of property, money laundering and dealing with proceeds of crime, among others,” read a letter seen by Capital FM.
EACC said searches conducted at Analo’s premises yielded substantial amounts of cash in different denominations as well as documents believed to be linked to the offences under investigation.
The commission further directed that Analo be denied access to his office, county records and official systems during the suspension period to prevent interference with investigations or possible tampering with evidence.
The suspension follows a major anti-corruption operation conducted on Thursday in which investigators recovered Sh51.3 million in cash and an additional USD113,000, approximately Sh14 million, bringing the total haul to about Sh65.3 million.
According to EACC, part of the cash was found inside Analo’s residence while another portion was recovered from the boot of his motor vehicle.
Investigators also seized title deeds, motor vehicle logbooks, laptops, mobile phones, iPads, development approval plans, land sale agreements and other documents considered relevant to the probe.
The anti-graft agency alleges that Analo received more than Sh170 million through suspicious cash and M-Pesa deposits between the 2019/20 and 2025/26 financial years.
EACC is also examining assets allegedly acquired by the county official that appear disproportionate to his known sources of income.
“The Commission is investigating allegations of conflict of interest, abuse of office, bribery and possession of unexplained assets against Mr. Patrick Analo Akivaga,” the agency said.
Analo heads one of Nairobi County’s most powerful departments, which oversees development approvals, building permits, change-of-user applications and planning enforcement across the capital.
Responding to the unfolding scandal, Governor Sakaja announced Analo’s suspension and appointed Dominic Mutegi, formerly Director of Development Management, to serve as acting Chief Officer for Urban Planning.
The governor also ordered the immediate reconstitution of the Urban Planning Technical Committee, the body responsible for processing development approvals, in what he described as a broader effort to strengthen accountability and transparency.
“Corruption has no place in public service. Every public officer is individually accountable for their actions and must be prepared to answer to the law where allegations of wrongdoing arise,” Sakaja said.
Pending the establishment of a new committee, all development approval processes have been suspended, with urgent cases to be handled directly by the County Executive Committee Member for Built Environment and Urban Planning.
Sakaja emphasized that while Analo remains innocent until proven guilty, his administration would fully cooperate with investigators and would not shield any public officer found culpable of corruption.
The EACC said investigations are ongoing and that the findings will determine whether criminal charges, asset recovery proceedings or other legal action will be pursued.
