Kenya's Standard Newspaper Didn't Report That One of the Country's Top Cops Was Receiving Ksh25 Million a Month in Bribes

23 April 2025
Africa Check (Johannesburg)
By Dancan Bwire

Kenya's Standard newspaper didn't report that one of the country's top cops was receiving KSh25 million a month in bribes

IN SHORT: There have been reports of bribery involving members of the National Police Service in Kenya. However, the Standard newspaper didn't report that Eliud Lagat, one of the service's top cops, earns millions of Kenyan shillings monthly through corruption.

Eliud Lagat, the head of the Kenya Police Service (KPS), receives KSh25 million (about US$191,891) monthly in bribes. That is according to the headline of what appears to be the front page of Kenya's Standard newspaper.

The front page, dated 17 April 2025, is circulating on Facebook in Kenya with the headline: "Richest Cop!"

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Its summary says: "DIG of Police Elijah Lagat earns 25 times more than President Ruto. Sources claim Lagat earns Shs.25 million a month from bribe rings facilitated by senior police officers across Kenya."

Kenya's National Police Service (NPS) is headed by the inspector general. It consists of the KPS and the Administration Police Service, each headed by a deputy inspector general (DIG). Lagat is the DIG of the Kenya Police Service.

As of April 2025, Kenyan president William Ruto earns a gross salary of KSh1,443,750 (about US$11,082).

There have been reports of bribery involving members of the NPS. The service has also scored poorly in many Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) surveys. The EACC is Kenya's anti-corruption body.

The front page has been posted here and here. (Note: See more instances listed at the end of this report.)

But is it legit? We checked.

Fake front page

Africa Check compared the circulating front page to a genuine one from the Standard newspaper and noted that their fonts differed significantly.

The Standard newspaper usually posts digital versions of its front pages on its verified social media accounts, including Facebook and X, and on its e-paper platform. We searched the accounts and found the original 17 April issue of the newspaper.

The genuine headline reads: "Unfit but approved." It discusses the working relationship between Kenya's executive and legislature.

The fake front page is almost identical to the original but replaces the headline with "Richest Cop!".

The front page in question is fake and should be ignored.

The fake front page was also posted here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

Read the original story, with links and other resources.
Africa Check is a non-partisan organisation which promotes accuracy in public debate and in the media. Twitter @AfricaCheck and www.africacheck.org

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