Police Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat Targeted on X Amid Unsubstantiated Extortion Claims

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Kenya Police Service, Eliud Lagat, has become the target of a coordinated social media campaign on X, with users leveraging the hashtag #UtumishiKwaLagat to accuse him of extorting 25 million Kenyan shillings monthly.

Kenya Insights couldn’t independently confirm these allegations given no credible evidence to support the claims, pointing instead to a potential misinformation effort aimed at tarnishing the senior officer’s reputation.

The campaign, which surfaced prominently on April 17, 2025, features posts from mass X accounts alleging that DIG Lagat operates an extortion scheme, demanding millions from subordinates while protecting corrupt senior officers.

One post by user @_Weetu_ claimed, “Senior officers like Eliud Lagat demand for 25Million A Month arrest the real culprit.. #UtumishiKwaLagat,” while another by @Its_Mary254 alleged coercion and threats of transfers to enforce the scheme.

The hashtag, translating to “service for Lagat,” implies that Lagat prioritizes personal gain over public duty, a sharp contrast to his documented efforts to combat police corruption.

The campaign was run with full media cards that were promptly denied by various media houses as fake.

Lagat, a 25-year veteran of the Kenya Police Service, has been at the forefront of initiatives to restore public trust in the force.

In August 2024, according media reports, he conducted surprise visits to police stations and roadblocks, urging officers to “steer clear of corruption” and serve with dignity.

The absence of corroborating evidence for the extortion claims suggests the X campaign may be a deliberate smear.

However, Kenya’s history of police corruption as fertile ground for such narratives, but the specific targeting of Lagat, without substantiation, raises questions about the motives.

No official response from Lagat or the Kenya Police Service had been made at the time of publication.