During his Mashujaa Day speech on Saturday October 20, 2018 at Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced plans to streamline the EACC and the DCI to strengthen the fight against corruption.
He said “cases against corrupt acts are being built against persons who may have thought themselves untouchable.”
He directed EACC to prepare regulations and guidelines that will enable all investigative agencies to access wealth declarations of all state and public officers.
Although Article 244 (b) of the Constitution gives the police power to deal with matters relating to corruption, it has largely been left to EACC as a specialist organisation.
On Friday The Star reported that the government plans to take away some powers of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and vest them in the Directorate of Criminal Investigations as part of its strategy to bolster the war against corruption.
But don’t you think think EACC will feel undermined? Let us just hope that “ata hawatasikia vibaya.”
According to the local daily, the government has decided to hand over corruption cases to DCI chief George Kinoti who has demonstrated enterprise since he assumed office five months ago.
His appointment and that of the Director of Prosecutions Noordin Haji has given a new lease of life to the war against corruption, with several high profile officials charged.
Under the new plan, the DCI will be required to post police officers to all county offices. The officers will solely be responsible for investigating corruption-related offences.
EACC, which is currently mandated to investigate ethics and corruption-related cases, will be relegated to investigating ethical breaches in the public service.
Anti-corruption offices will be opened in all the 47 county police headquarters and headed by an officer of the rank of an Inspector and above, sources told the Star on condition of anonymity.
The decision to slice away the powers of EACC was reached in a series of high level state meetings held since August. Insiders said EACC, which the President almost abolished in August, has failed in the fight against corruption and hence the need to bring in the DCI. The decision has also been prompted by overlaps in the investigations undertaken by the DCI and EACC.