EACC boss summoned by Parliament over alleged graft cover ups

Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chief Executive Officer Halakhe Waqo could be kicked out of office through a Parliamentary process over alleged cover ups in grand corruption investigations handled by his office.

Waqo has been summoned to appear before the National Assembly’s Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chaired by Samuel Chepkonga on Tuesday to respond to claims that his office had been used to sanitise corruption suspects.

Waqo’s clearance of former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru over the National Youth Service (NYS) scam could have triggered the plan to oust him.

The commission’s announcement that it would initiate fresh investigations into the theft of Ksh 791M from NYS through tenders awarded at inflated prices has raised questions on its competence and seriousness in the fight against corruption.

The commission had announced a fresh probe into the NYS saga following an affidavit sworn by one of the scam’s main suspects Josephine Kabura Irungu.

The National Assembly is raising questions on what informed Waqo’s decision to clear Waiguru over the NYS scandal in a letter he wrote to Head of Public Service and State House Chief of Staff Joseph Kinyua.

With pressure mounting, Waqo says the commission only cleared Waiguru of four other cases, one in which former NYS Director General Nelson Githinji has been charged with abuse of office and spending Ksh 490,000 to service his personal vehicle.

Though EACC insists Waiguru was not yet off the hook over the Ksh 791M NYS scandal, it did not name the other three cases it cleared her over.

The affidavit sworn by Kabura claims the raids conducted by the anti-graft body in residential premises of top NYS suspects were stage managed.

Kabura failed to show up Thursday at Integrity Centre where she had been summoned to appear before the EACC detectives to shed light on the content of her affidavit.

Her lawyer claimed she was unwell. She is now set to appear before the EACC investigators on Tuesday.

EACC’s newly appointed chairman Phillip Kinisu is scheduled to address his maiden news conference Friday and is expected to respond to questions raised on the integrity of his Chief Executive and other secretariat senior officers in the fight against corruption.