National Assembly receives petition for Philip Kinisu's removal
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Philip Kinisu appears before the Joint Select Committee on Electoral Reforms at Parliament in Nairobi on July 29, 2016. The National Assembly on August 16, 2016 received a petition for Mr Kinisu's removal from office. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Last month EACC commissioners asked Mr Kinisu to take personal responsibility in the matter and step aside.
- Mr Kinisu vowed to stay put, saying the commissioners' call was premature and lacked legal basis.
The National Assembly on Tuesday received a petition to remove Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Philip Kinisu from office.
The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee has been directed to issue a response within 14 days.
The embattled anti-corruption chief has been in office for barely a year since President Uhuru Kenyatta nominated him in November last year to replace Mumo Matemu, who had resigned following sustained pressure to leave office.
Last month, EACC commissioners joined in calls to have Mr Kinisu removed from office after they urged him to step aside and take “personal responsibility” and leave the anti-graft agency because of his company’s involvement with the scandal-riddled National Youth Service (NYS).
They warned that Mr Kinisu faced imminent suspension unless he voluntarily stepped aside to pave the way for investigations.
The anti-graft agency is investigating the loss of Sh791 million of taxpayers’ money in fraudulent payments by the NYS, a scandal that has claimed the careers of senior government officials, including former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru.
In response to the pressure to step aside, Mr Kinisu vowed to stay put, blaming internal wrangles at the EACC for his woes.
He described as premature and lacking legal basis the EACC commissioners' call for his resignation on July 28 following a probe on his family’s business dealings with the NYS.
“It is clear that there are vested interests and individuals who feel threatened with the reform agenda that I have started to implement at the commission and have an agenda of releasing false and malicious information to confuse the public,” Mr Kinisu said.
Mr Kinisu's problems at the EACC started after it was discovered that his company, Esaki Ltd, won lucrative NYS tenders worth hundreds of millions over the past three and a half years.
Esaki’s dealings with the NYS, and by extension the Devolution ministry, are being investigated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Assets Recovery Agency and Kenya Revenue Authority.
