He said he will petition Parliament to compel the newly appointed EACC Chairman Phillip Kinisu to expedite the process of screening staff at the commission’s secretariat/FILE
He said he will petition Parliament to compel the newly appointed EACC Chairman Phillip Kinisu to expedite the process of screening staff at the commission’s secretariat, headed by Chief Executive Halakhe Waqo.
The first-term MP said he was concerned the commission is fast losing public confidence in the fight against corruption, especially after it cleared former Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru of any wrongdoing in the loss of funds at the National Youth Service.
“When Parliament resumes tomorrow I will move a motion to force the new commissioners to vet afresh most of the officers at the EACC; they are more corrupt than any other Kenyan. It is the reason why Kenyans cannot see the fruits of EACC as a body that is mandated to fight graft,” he told a news conference at Parliament Buildings.
Keter accused the commission of conducting sloppy investigations.
“We have lost money at NYS, some of us have evidence…If EACC were interested in evidence and witness statements then they should have interrogated some of us who have evidence that involves CS Waiguru directly in what happened,” he said.
“There are a lot of files in the commission. Why the rush to clear Waiguru? There are some people whose files have not been cleared since March 2014,” he said in relation to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s dossier linking 175 government officials, including five Cabinet Secretaries to corruption.
The Waqo led EACC Secretariat was supposed to have concluded their investigations on the officials by June 2015.
READ MORE: 5 Cabinet Secretaries, 12 Governors in EACC graft list
He claimed some of the staff have been using their positions at the commission as a ‘toll station’ to extort suspects under investigation.
“We have a failed institution by the name of EACC, which instead of focusing on issues to do with graft, they are the ones who are involving themselves with corruption activities, they are busy trying to get bribes from them so that they can give them a clean bill of health.”
“That is why there is a talk in town, if you want to steal; steal big-time, because all those institutions like EACC will be toll stations so you will need to have enough money to sort them as you move ahead,” Keter said as he appealed to the DPP to ensure credible investigations are done in the Waiguru matter.
Keter who has fallen out with his colleagues at the Jubilee Coalition accused the EACC of abdicating its independent mandate and instead playing to the whims of the Executive.
The commission has conducted investigations on various allegations touching on the National Youth Service and the Ministry of Devolution and National Planning.
Waiguru said although she was unaware of the development, she was happy that “the truth had finally come out”.
“I am sure I will be receiving communication on the matter through official channels. I am however grateful to God that the truth is finally out. This gives me courage and strength,” she was quoted in media reports.
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