NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 22 – The Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC) Advisory Board is now advising Director Aaron Ringera to apply for the position afresh.
The Board’s Chairman Okong’o Omogeni on Tuesday said that Justice Ringera would be an eligible applicant for the top job as his contract allowed him to serve for two terms.
“The Board will soon declare the top KACC positions vacant. We are very transparent and as soon as we decide to meet we will let you know,” he promised.
Asked what the agenda of the said meeting would be, Mr Omogeni didn’t reveal anything: “The agenda would be decided by the members of the Advisory Board when they meet.”
He also revealed that the New KACC directors would take a 35 percent pay cut and that the Advisory board would be answerable to Parliament.
Meanwhile, Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Mutula Kilonzo, who has been a supporter of the President Mwai Kibaki’s reappointment of Justice Ringera maintained his position and further urged Justice Ringera to stay put.
“It is so clear, even the law we use says that the moment you annul it, the validity of the actions taken before are not affected. That is why I keep saying that Justice Ringera is in office legally,” the Justice Minister affirmed.
The Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister also warned that the law that was used to annul the President’s gazette notice would be detrimental to Kenya.
“I want to assure you that the country will regret the use of the law that was used to annul the President’s gazette notice, against my very careful advice,” Mr Kilonzo told reporters at the High Court when he launched the Law Society of Kenya legal week.
“As I said if you now change your name to Mutula, you are required to go and publish it in the Kenya gazette. President Kibaki did not publish any laws or any regulations, yet Parliament purported to annul it. That decision will cause enormous interpretation issues for this country in the future,” warned the Minister.
Parliament last week annulled the gazette notice by President Kibaki reappointing Justice Aaron Ringera as KACC Director following a recommendation by two Parliamentary Committees which ruled that the President’s action was irregular as he didn’t consult the Advisory Board and also by-passed Parliament.
Analysts say the report annulling the gazette notice would open a new battle between the Executive and Legislature creating far-reaching implications on both the powers of the President and those of Parliament.
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