Detectives from the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) on Wednesday arrested an assistant chief in Malindi over allegations of receiving a bribe.
Shella Chief Nichodemus Mwayele is accused of receiving a Sh15,000 bribe in a bid to assist a resident embroiled in a land tussle with the neighbour.
The chief had asked for the money promising to help the resident secure his piece of land.
The resident, Kazungu Charo, later decided to seek the intervention of the EACC officers in Malindi after he realised his efforts to seek justice were not bearing fruits.
He lamented that the assistant chief had asked him to send him Sh20,000 as an incentive to facilitate the repossession of the land in Muyeye, Malindi, which belonged to his mother.
The detectives resolved to lay a trap for the chief and arrested him moments after he was given the Sh15,000.
"All the money was recovered and the suspect is being processed for arraignment," a source told the Daily Nation.
The incident comes at a time when EACC has stepped up its bid to curb cases of land grabbing. A section of chiefs and their assistants have in the past been facing criticism for taking bribes and derailing the course of justice.