NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 6 – The new director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), PLO Lumumba was sworn-in on Friday at a ceremony witnessed by Chief Justice Evan Gicheru and Cabinet Minister Mutula Kilonzo.
Also sworn-in were lawyers Pravin Bowry as Assistant Director in charge of legal services and Jane Onsongo as preventive services Assistant Director.
He told those engaged in corruption to be prepared to face the full force of the law but hastened to add that there will be no witch-hunt as each case would be prosecuted after thorough investigations.
The charismatic director described the swearing in as a new beginning "especially since it comes after 67 percent of Kenyans endorsed a new Constitution."
"My appeal to those who have been engaged in reaping where they have not sown that this is the opportunity for them to come forth and seek Kenyans’ forgiveness by saying that they have sinned," he said.
The KACC Advisory Board nominated the renowned lawyer to replace Justice (rtd) Aaron Ringera as Kenya\’s anti-graft boss after and his deputies Fatuma Sichale and Smokin Wanjala resigned last year.
The new director said the KACC is the lead agency when it comes to fighting crimes and called for teamwork between the Police and the Efficiency Monitoring Unit saying "there was no need for a competition of egos in the fight against corruption".
He said; "I know there are cynics out there who are saying that they have seen and heard it all before; cynicism will be entertained but give us the benefit of doubt. No sacred cows, no unmovable stone, no sharks, no whales, no omena – every body will be dealt with firmly."
Lumumba becomes the third head of the anti-graft body after justice Ringera and Harun Mwau who headed the defunct Kenya Anti Corruption Authority which was disbanded in 2000.
He is an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya and Tanzania and a law lecturer.
In the period between 2002-2005, Dr Lumumba served as the Constitution of Kenya Review Commission Secretary, the body that was mandated to collect Kenyans’ views and prepare a draft Constitution for deliberations at the Bomas National Constitutional Conference.
He received his LL.B and LL.M Degrees in Law at the University of Nairobi, followed by a PhD in the Laws of the Sea at the University of Ghent in Belgium.
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