Ethic and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chairperson Bishop David Oginde on Monday, July 24 explained that it is easy to convict chicken thieves than the big fish in prosecuting corruption cases.
In a media interview, Bishop Oginde said that most people who engage in high-level corruption are not poor people but highly placed and people with a high education.
“The person who has stolen chicken, you don’t need much to prove that. The chicken is lost, we have caught the person who stole it. It is a straightforward open and close case,” Bishop Oginde said.
Furthermore, he revealed that the big graft cases are well orchestrated and executed, hence prosecuting them is complex and takes a lot of time.
“The smaller fries are convicting much faster and so on, it not because the others are avoided but it’s too hard,” he explained.
He noted that some people go to the extent of hiring professionals where they find an opportunity to steal.
“We can plant on you that you did that or that, take you to court get a relevant judge to convict you, when all along there was nothing but it was to take you away so that we can take your position.
By the time you argue your case we have done what we want to do. That is what is called weaponization of corruption.”
Moreover, the EACC Chair said that he knows that corruption is not easy to do away with completely but hopes to reduce it during his tenure.
“I have not deceived myself that I am the one person who will end corruption in Kenya. But I want to play my part to reduce corruption.
My driving force is to change how we look at corruption and deal with corrupt people,” Bishop Oginde who took over as EACC boss in May 2023 explained.
“Omena is easier to fry compared to big fish.”
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Huge task for Bishop Oginde
The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks countries and territories depending on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be.
According to 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International, Kenya is position 123 out of 180 countries.
Additionally, retired president of Kenya Uhuru Kenyatta revealed that Kenya loses Ksh.2 billion in a day to corruption.
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His successor President William Samoei Ruto has vowed to fight corruption within the public sector.
