A Kenyan court has temporarily halted efforts to remove the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) chief executive, Roy Sasaka Telewa, even as he faces questioning by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) over claims of unexplained wealth amounting to Sh1bn.
In orders issued on 13 January 2026, the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nairobi barred the NGAAF board from holding a meeting scheduled for the same day and restrained it from suspending or otherwise interfering with Mr Sasaka’s contract and duties. The court also prohibited the appointment of any acting or substantive chief executive, pending a full hearing on 21 January.
The conservatory orders, signed by Lady Justice Jemimah Wanza Keli, preserve the status quo at the fund and give the respondents seven days to respond to Mr Sasaka’s application.
EACC appearance adds new layer
The court decision comes a day after Mr Sasaka appeared before the EACC for questioning, following searches at his home and office on 8 January as part of an investigation into alleged unexplained wealth, procurement irregularities and possible misuse of public funds between 2021 and 2026.
Legal experts note that unexplained wealth proceedings are civil in nature and do not, in themselves, amount to a finding of criminal guilt. The burden rests with investigators to demonstrate, on a balance of probabilities, that assets were unlawfully acquired.
Competing narratives
While the EACC has framed the probe as part of a broader anti-corruption drive targeting senior public officials, sources familiar with NGAAF’s internal operations paint a more complex picture.
They argue that the Sh1bn figure repeatedly cited in public discourse is not simply a headline-grabbing allegation but corresponds to a budget line for the supply of sanitary towels under NGAAF programmes. These funds are intended to ensure that schoolgirls can access education with dignity — a key pillar of the fund’s mandate.
The NGAAF board approved the centralisation of procurement — reforms implemented during Mr Sasaka’s tenure — in an attempt to seal loopholes and curb abuse. The changes are said to have unsettled entrenched commercial and political interests that had thrived under a decentralised system.
Public pressure and youth mobilisation
The dispute has spilled beyond boardrooms and court corridors. On 10 January, youth groups drawn from western Kenya and Nairobi held a press conference at Nairobi’s Jeevanjee Gardens, led by Mulmulwas Youth Movement chairperson Luke Opwora, calling for an end to what they described as the “selective prosecution” of Mr Sasaka.
The demonstrators urged leaders from western Kenya to speak out in his defence, arguing that the probe risked derailing reforms meant to protect funds for women, girls and other vulnerable groups.
What next?
The NGAAF board and the Cabinet Secretary for Gender and Affirmative Action have yet to publicly outline their response to the court orders or the substance of the allegations. Any disobedience of the orders, the court warned, would attract penal consequences.
As the legal battle unfolds alongside the EACC investigation, the case is shaping up as a test of governance and accountability in Kenya’s social protection programmes — and of how anti-corruption efforts intersect with internal power struggles in public institutions.
For now, Mr Sasaka remains in office, protected by court orders, as investigators and judges separately examine the same set of events from different vantage points.ed by court orders, as the NGAAF saga continues to unfold.
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