The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has clarified reports that it has blocked former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya from being nominated as Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development Cabinet Secretary.
EACC in a statement on August 3 stated that its role in the integrity vetting of candidates for public office under the current law cannot clear or bar anyone from holding any office in the land as it is not within the Commission’s mandate.
“The Commission has noted a false narrative being bandied around by a section of leaders that it “refused to clear Hon. Wycliffe Oparanya for appointment as Cabinet Secretary.” This is not the true position,” reads the statement in part.
Additionally, the anti-graft Agency explained that it does can only provide facts on record regarding the integrity status of each candidate as at the material date, without passing any judgment on whether or not they qualify for appointment.
“The Commission did this for ALL the CS nominees upon the request of Parliament. It is now up to the Parliamentary Vetting Committee to decide what to do with that information,” it said.
Furthermore, it mentioned that there is nowhere in their letter to the National Assembly where the Commission recommended that anybody should or should not be cleared or appointed.
The said letter, the anti-corruption commission clarified that is part of Parliamentary records, and anyone can get a copy and read for themselves.
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It also reported that its communication with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on his change of mind on the prosecution of Oparanya is a “completely different and broader issue” and in response to his letter to the Commission on the same.
This comes after EACC in the letter dated 29th July 2024, elaborated that Oparanya’s integrity is questionable, based on investigations into allegations of corruption during his tenure as the governor of Kakamega.
EACC said it has filed for preservation orders against Oparanya’s assets, suspecting them to be proceeds of corruption arising from conflicts of interest, with the matter still pending in court.
“The Commission conducted an investigation on allegations of corruption against the nominee for offences committed during his stint as the Governor, County Government of Kakamega,” read part of the letter.
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“Upon conclusion of the investigation, the Commission submitted a report to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommending prosecution of the nominee on various charges, including conspiracy to commit an offence of corruption, conflict of interest, abuse of office, and money laundering.”
This letter from the EACC was in response to a prior letter written by Samuel Njogore, Clerk of the National Assembly, seeking a background check on integrity matters concerning the nominees.
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