NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 13 — A Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) compliance officer was on Thursday arraigned for allegedly soliciting and receiving a Kes500,000 bribe to irregularly assist a secondary school with tax filings.According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), its investigations established that the officer, Evans Agumba Oriato, based in Kisumu, demanded the bribe to “assist” Jane Memorial Secondary School in filing tax returns for the years 2016 to 2020.“The Commission received a report from the complainant indicating that the suspect had summoned them to his office to discuss the filing of nil returns for the school,” EACC said in a statement.Investigators found that on December 31, 2021, Oriato allegedly demanded Sh1 million to resolve purported filing irregularities and received a down payment of Sh500,000, with the remainder to be paid upon completion of the process.“Afterward, the suspect persistently demanded the remaining amount, prompting the complainants to report the matter to EACC’s Western Regional Office in Kisumu,” the agency added.EACC operation EACC mounted an operation that led to the officer’s arrest while receiving a further Sh250,000. He was processed at the Commission’s offices and released on a cash bail of Sh100,000 pending further action.Following the completion of investigations, the file was forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who concurred with EACC’s recommendations to prosecute.Oriato was summoned on November 12, 2025, booked at the Railways Police Station in Kisumu, and held overnight pending arraignment.He was later charged before the Kisumu Anti-Corruption Court with three counts of receiving a bribe, contrary to Section 6(1) as read with Section 18(1) and (2) of the Anti-Bribery Act No. 47 of 2016. He denied the charges and was released on a bond of Sh500,000 with a surety of a similar amount.EACC said the case is part of an ongoing crackdown targeting bribery and corruption at public service delivery points to promote integrity and improve access to government services.