Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat is facing fresh trouble after police officers raised complaints about missing payments during the African Nations Championship tournament.
Records show that KSh11 million was set aside to pay allowances to officers deployed for the 28-day event. Senior officers such as Adamson Bungei were supposed to get KSh258,000 each, while constables were to receive KSh97,020. Yet many officers say they only got as little as KSh10,000, and some got nothing at all.
This has caused anger within the force, with questions being asked about where the money went.
The complaints do not stop there. Officers also point to a suspicious figure of KSh50 million that was said to have been spent on fuel.
They argue that the amount used in the field does not add up to that figure, raising fears that money may have been mismanaged.
The Local Organising Committee confirmed it gave funds directly to the police, meaning it is the responsibility of the service leadership to account for how it was distributed.
So far, Inspector General Douglas Kanja, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen, and Lagat himself have avoided giving a clear response, further fueling suspicion.
For Lagat, this is not the first time his name is being dragged into controversy.
In June 2025, he was linked to the case of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and blogger who accused him of corruption in the police service.
Ojwang was arrested and moved to Nairobi, only to die in custody days later. While officials claimed he caused his own injuries, a post-mortem showed he had been tortured and strangled.
His death sparked nationwide anger, with protests demanding justice.
Courtesy/The Standard
The case left many Kenyans pointing fingers at senior police leadership, with Lagat at the center of the storm.
Now, the CHAN allowance scandal has brought back the same questions of accountability.
Officers who worked to secure the tournament feel betrayed after not receiving their rightful pay, while Lagat and other top officials remain silent. For many, this shows a clear pattern of poor leadership and lack of transparency.
Lagat holds a senior position that demands responsibility, but instead his tenure has been marked by scandals that have damaged trust within the police service.
Officers are still waiting for answers about their unpaid allowances, and Kenyans have not forgotten the unresolved issues around Ojwang’s death.
Lagat stands accused of failing those under his command, and unless accountability is enforced, the problems within the police service will only get worse.
