House gives Eliud Wabukala green light to head EACC

JLAC approves appointment of Wabukala and Chebukati

What you need to know:

  • The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee endorsed the appointment of Mr Chebukati to head IEBC.

  • Also approved were commissioner-nominees Consolata Maina, Boya Molu, Roselyne Akombe, Paul Kurgat, Margaret Mwachanya and Abdi Guliye.

  • The committee gave its nod despite queries about some candidates' experience and understanding of electoral matters.

Retired Anglican Church of Kenya archbishop Eliud Wabukala is the new chairman of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Mr Wabukala's appointment by President Uhuru Kenyatta was approved by the National Assembly on Tuesday afternoon.

He replaces Philip Kinisu, who was hounded out of office after he was adversely mentioned in the Sh791 million scandal that rocked the National Youth Service.

OPTIMISTIC

During the Tuesday special sitting, MPs overwhelmingly supported Mr Wabukala but were cautiously optimistic that the first clergy to head the commission could make inroads in crashing corruption networks that are milking the country dry.

Majority Leader Aden Duale said Mr Wabukala is walking into a “dangerous institution” where corruption fights back, and where six other chairmen have left without making a mark in ending the vice.

“I wish him all the best and urge him that heading the EACC is not the same as heading a church organisation and is no religious activity. You are walking into a dangerous institution where corruption fights back,” he said.

VETTING

For the anti-corruption fight to register lasting success, Mr Duale said, the whole society should teach children to abhor graft, adding that as the way things are now, parents are “embracing gifts from their children, without asking where they got the money".

The Garissa Township MP also defended the Jubilee government’s record on fighting corruption, saying President Kenyatta has signed three anti-corruption Bills into law.

The approval of Mr Wabukala was not in doubt, after he performed well in the vetting phase, setting out his goals of restoring “public trust” in the EACC that has waned over the years as taxpayers continue pumping billions of shillings into the institution without getting results.

MPS ON SPOT

The retired clergyman also told the parliamentary team that he would punish the corrupt and reward those who do not engage in corruption, saying it was the divine duty of the government to “fight evil.”

Minority Leader Francis Nyenze said the gap between the rich and the poor required to be bridged, adding that corruption is inevitable when many families lack food and a few people are filthy rich.

He also called on MPs to desist from doing business with the government to avoid conflict of interest in their oversight role, saying it would go a long way in assisting the EACC in fighting corruption.

Baringo North MP William Cheptumo said Mr Wabukala, having been the chairman of the National Anti-Corruption Steering Committee for the past 12 years, has the necessary experience and exposure to fight graft.

HOUNDED OUT

Mr Cheptumo said he had been “impressed” by the honesty of the former clergyman, who publicly stated his wealth, including disclosing the amount of pension he had been paid by the Anglican Church of Kenya on retiring.

Kiminini MP Chris Wamalwa said corruption is haemorrhaging 30 per cent of the country's gross domestic product and urged Mr Wabukala to help stop the swindling of the public purse.

Oljororok MP Muriithi Waiganjo said the retired church leader had proved that he has the “firmness and will” to deal with corrupt cartels, adding that he is likely to succeed where his predecessors failed.

MPs also called for the vetting of the IEBC secretariat, arguing it had played a role in fighting previous chairmen who had been hounded out of office.

GRAFT CARTELS

They also called for political goodwill and independence of the commission so that it can accomplish its mandate.

Following the House approval, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi will forward Mr Wabukala’s name to President Kenyatta and is likely to be sworn in anytime from today.

Kenyans will look up to him to deal with a scourge that has not only dented the country’s image but also contributed to poor services to Kenyans even as a few corrupt cartels continue to accumulate immense wealth.

The House is currently debating the suitability of advocate Wafula Chebukati to chair the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission and six commissioner nominees.

MPS' QUERIES

The House had adjourned the special sitting on Tuesday morning to allow MPs time to read the report of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee that vetted the nominees.

The committee endorsed the appointment of Mr Chebukati to head the IEBC.

Also approved were commissioner-nominees Consolata Maina, Boya Molu, Roselyne Akombe, Paul Kurgat, Margaret Mwachanya and Abdi Guliye.

The committee gave its nod despite queries about some candidates' experience and understanding of electoral matters.

SLAY DRAGON

During vetting, IEBC nominees told MPs that they would work overdrive to restore public confidence in the commission and elections.

If approved, IEBC nominees are expected in the office as early as tomorrow (Wednesday) to oversee the ongoing mass voter registration.

The IEBC is targeting over six million new voters in the month-long listing across the country.