The anti-graft multi-agency team has outlined strategies implemented to fight graft, at a time when some have perceived a slowing down of the corruption war. Speaking at an anti-graft meeting that brought together the DPP, EACC officials, DCI and church officials, DPP Noordin Haji said they have opted to use experts in various fields including financial analysts to make the cases easier for the lawyers and magistrates. He said they are working with the office of the auditor general to help in doing forensics, adding that sometimes people are acquitted because the cases have been presented poorly due to lack of expert application.
Haji added that they are focusing on high impact cases and acquiring the necessary skills to retrieve assets saying very technical skills are required when tracing criminal assets. “You have to look at the money..where did the tainted money go to? What did the person use the criminal proceeds for? What did they purchase?” He said tracing money is now a complex exercise given that we are in a global economy, “Money is moving, it’s very fluid.”
On his part, EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak said there will be no special treatment for suspects whether they are regarded highly in the society or not. This comes after Council of Governors chairperson and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said the Governors should be treated respectfully during the anti-graft arrests. “We don’t have white-collar suspects and blue-collar suspects, criminals suspects are suspects,” he said, adding that at the moment a suspect will be treated as such, “I think the car we are using to carry them is good..it’s not a police landrover or a pick up, so they should appreciate that we are trying our best and that’s the resource that we have.”
Anglican Church of Kenya Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit appealed to congregants to desist from corruption and political leaders to stop politicizing the war on corruption but join hands to end the vice, “We must not allow corruption to win and we must win this war,” he said.
