Anti-Counterfeit Boss Kabeabea Loses Job After Taking Sh150,000 Bribe

NAIROBI — Josephat Gichunge Kabeabea has been removed from his post as chair of the Anti-Counterfeit Authority after an Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission probe found he took a Sh150,000 bribe from a foreign investor, officials said.

Trade Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui gazetted the revocation of Kabeabea’s appointment, saying the decision followed the Anti-Counterfeit Act and other regulations.

The termination took effect on November 28, 2025.  

Kabeabea was arrested on November 14 when EACC officers executed coordinated raids on his home and offices as part of an investigation into allegations of bribery, extortion of investors and unexplained wealth.

The EACC says preliminary inquiries show he solicited a Sh5 million payment from a Chinese businessman before lowering the demand repeatedly until the matter was settled with Sh150,000.  

According to investigators, the complainant, who did not have cash on hand, was told to send the money to a mobile phone number registered in the name of Kabeabea’s driver.

CCTV footage also reportedly placed Kabeabea at the complainant’s business premises on November 10 and 11, a detail the EACC noted as supporting evidence.

The EACC’s findings follow other alleged incidents. Authorities say Kabeabea also demanded money from a separate firm in a case that reportedly involved threats linked to counterfeit allegations.

The details have formed part of a broader investigation into alleged extortion of both local and foreign investors.  

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions approved bribery charges against Kabeabea on November 17.

He was arraigned at the Milimani Anti-Graft Court on counts that include demanding and receiving a bribe under the Anti-Bribery Act and related offenses under proceeds of crime laws.  

Kabeabea served as Tigania East MP from 2017 to 2022 and was appointed ACA chair by President William Ruto in February 2023.

His rise to the agency’s leadership had been accompanied by public attention, including an incident in 2022 in which his vehicle was set on fire during the campaign period.