The Ethics and Anti-Corruption (EACC) chief executive nominee Twalib Abdallah Mbarak has undergone vetting before the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) at parliament. The EACC CEO nominee has admitted that corruption is currently a unique challenge, and it may take time before order is restored, but it doesn’t make it hard to deal with. Speaking before the Committee led by Baringo North MP William Cheptumo, he said corruption is a unique crime, and that if approved to be the EACC CEO, they’ll need support from various quarters, including the media, “Corruption is very unique. It’s the only offence that has no complainant, somebody has given money, and someone else receives, no one has complained…it’s up to the state to prove that something took place,” he said.
He said a multiple approach to the graft issue will be required, system improvement, code of ethics that are implemented and enforced, adherence to rules and regulations among others. “My promise is I’ll try my best and I’ll not be scared, I’ll not get orders from anywhere and I’ll be fair to the citizens,” he said. Twalib Mbarak, a former military intelligence officer who served in the military from 1984 to 1999, and holds a Masters Degree in Armed Conflict and Peace Studies, was nominated after undergoing an interview by a selected panel and beat 13 other candidates. The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee is set to prepare a report ahead of a special sitting on Tuesday to deliberate on the final report. Twalib is set to replace the outgoing EACC CEO Halakhe Wako who has served his six-year term.
The nominee also noted that the rate of convictions in Kenya is poor, and said that emphasis has to be placed in technical capacity instead of human capacity. He said an example is the FBI, who focus on the technical capacity when carrying out their duties. He said the culprits of the 1998 bomb blast were captured, due to the emphasis being on the technical side. He said the DCI is handling investigations faster because of an upgrade in technical capacity, “We need to computerize most of the systems.. this is a country that has a lot of potential, young men who are fully trained in ICT,” he noted.