Unmasking Abdi Guyo’s Corruption Empire: Why Isiolo County Must Be Disbanded to Save Its People

By The Investigative Desk | Isiolo, Kenya – June 3, 2025

In the remote but resource-rich expanse of Isiolo County, Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo has built not just a political office—but a corruption empire.

Behind the facade of development lies a vast network of ghost workers, phantom tenders, illegal bank accounts, and brazen disregard for oversight that has gutted essential services and left residents in crushing poverty.

After months of investigation, insider leaks, financial audits, and whistleblower accounts, one conclusion becomes clear: Isiolo is no longer a county government. It is a criminal enterprise masquerading as one—and it must be dismantled.

A Ghost Banking System Built to Bleed Isiolo Dry

The rot begins in the treasury.

Despite clear Public Finance Management (PFM) regulations requiring counties to operate through the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the Isiolo County Government under Governor Guyo has operated at least 13 commercial bank accounts outside the CBK, according to whistleblower reports and corroborated by recent audit red flags. These accounts were not disclosed in the county’s financial statements.

What’s worse: internal memos show that massive payments to “contractors” were made through these accounts, with no evidence of services rendered. One of the largest withdrawals—Sh31 million labeled as “emergency response”—was transacted during a month where no emergency was reported. Financial analysts call it what it is: “a laundering pipeline.”

Insiders within the County Treasury have confirmed that senior finance officers received “monthly envelopes” to maintain silence. Two of them, fearing reprisals, fled Isiolo in April 2025 and are currently in protective custody after offering evidence to the EACC.

Phantom Projects, Real Money: The Anatomy of Tender Theft

In the town of Kinna, Sh42 million was allocated for a rural water pipeline project in 2023. The contractor, registered as Tumewekwa Holdings Ltd, received full payment.

A visit to the site revealed a single PVC pipe buried 30 meters from the road—no reservoir, no meters, no water.

That company, as our investigations show, is registered to a Nairobi apartment belonging to a cousin of one of Governor Guyo’s long-time political allies. It was created three weeks before winning the tender.

This is not an isolated case.

In Garbatulla, a Sh58 million road gravelling project “completed” in 2024 exists only in county reports.

Locals say no graders, bulldozers, or materials were ever seen. The company listed, Northlink Africa Limited, has since de-registered.

Despite this, the contractors are regularly paid—often through the illegal bank accounts hidden from the Auditor General.

The Human Cost: Hospitals Without Drugs, Schools Without Teachers

While Guyo’s allies enrich themselves, public services have collapsed.

At Isiolo County Referral Hospital, doctors staged a two-day walkout in March 2025 due to a complete lack of basic drugs.

Patients are told to buy medication at private chemists or go without.

The maternity wing operates without oxygen cylinders—two infants died in January from preventable respiratory complications.

Education is no better. In Merti, public primary schools go without chalk, textbooks, or functioning toilets.

Yet in the 2023/24 budget, Sh317 million was “absorbed” under the education vote.

Sources reveal it was diverted to “youth empowerment programs,” which turned out to be handouts to political supporters posing as community-based organizations.

Illegal Appointments: Patronage as Political Strategy

A report by the Office of the Controller of Budget shows that 47% of Isiolo’s 2024/25 budget went to salaries.

Why?

Governor Guyo has illegally hired 36 personal advisors—32 more than the legal limit—and bloated his cabinet with chief officers, most of whom lack proper qualifications.

Worse, at least 11 of these advisors are immediate family members or spouses of political allies.

Investigations show that one of Guyo’s senior “economic advisors” draws a Sh340,000 monthly salary but spends most days running a livestock export business in Nairobi.

This is not governance—it’s legalized looting.

Obstruction and Intimidation: The Governor Above the Law

When the Senate summoned Governor Guyo to explain financial discrepancies in October 2024, he refused to appear—twice. In March 2025, he was fined Sh500,000. By April, the Senate issued an arrest order. Still, no action was taken.

Behind closed doors, intelligence sources suggest that Guyo has threatened top law enforcement officers and leveraged political allies to evade scrutiny.

In April, he stormed a police station over a land dispute, threatening officers and claiming they were “interfering with government property.”

The land in question is suspected to be under illegal acquisition by one of Guyo’s front companies.

Devolution Hijacked: Calls for Disbandment Grow Louder

Across Isiolo, frustration is boiling. In December 2024, hundreds of youth disrupted a county event by cutting off power to the stage and chanting “Guyo must go.”

On June 3, 2025, veteran journalist Saddique Shaban publicly called for the disbandment of Isiolo County and the imposition of a caretaker administration.

Public opinion polls show a staggering 81% of Isiolo residents support the suspension of the county government.

Even members of the so-called Deep State—once considered untouchable—have reportedly withdrawn support for Guyo’s regime.

A Constitutional Path: Why the National Government Must Act

Under Article 192 of the Constitution, the President may suspend a county government in exceptional circumstances—such as gross abuse of office, loss of public trust, or breakdown of service delivery. Isiolo meets all three.

Guyo has:

Presided over illegal payments through ghost bank accounts Enabled looting through fictitious tenders.

Appointed dozens of cronies to inflate the wage bill Defied constitutional oversight by the Senate and EACC Overseen the collapse of health, education, and infrastructure

What more evidence is needed?

Conclusion: Restore Isiolo to Its People

Governor Abdi Guyo’s administration is not just corrupt—it is predatory. It feeds on public suffering, silences dissent, and uses the county as a shell to extract and launder public wealth.

His removal is not merely desirable—it is essential.

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission must immediately freeze all suspect bank accounts, summon the implicated county officers, and initiate charges for procurement fraud, embezzlement, abuse of office, and obstruction of justice.

Meanwhile, the national government must act decisively to suspend Isiolo County Government, place it under administration, and begin the process of restoring legitimate governance.

Isiolo’s people have suffered enough. Now, they must be saved.

Investigated and reported by the Independent Desk for Public Integrity.

Confidential sources withheld for protection.