The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has issued a rebuttal to allegations made by Narok Senator Ledama Olekina regarding the Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023.
Senator Olekina had claimed on the floor of the House and various media platforms, including his official X account, that the EACC had an undue role in the Bill's enactment and that the Commission was working in cahoots with an international organization.
In response, the EACC clarified its position and role in the legislative process.
"The attention of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has been drawn to shocking allegations by Narok Senator Hon. Ledama Olekina on the floor of the Senate which he further published on various media platforms, including his X account, regarding the Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023 and the alleged role of EACC in its enactment," the Commission stated.
The EACC emphasized that the Bill is currently under consideration by the Senate and the National Assembly and is not driven by the Commission.
The EACC condemned Senator Olekina's claims as false and misleading. "In addition to verbal attacks and insults directed to EACC, Senator Olekina, made false allegations and misled the country on the content of the Bill and implications of the amendments introduced by the Senate," the statement read.
The Commission highlighted that the Senator's comments were an attempt to justify the Senate's unanimous adoption of his amendments, which the EACC described as "mutilating the Conflict of Interest Bill, 2023."
Clarifying its involvement, the EACC stated, "The Commission wishes to clarify that whereas it has a legitimate interest in all anti-corruption legislation, including those pending in Parliament, the Commission takes great exception to the Senator's allegations that it sponsored the Bill, whether on its motion or behalf of the alleged international actors."
In a detailed response, the EACC accused Senator Olekina of misleading the public to shift focus from the adverse implications of the Senate's amendments to the Bill.
The conflict of interest Bill seeks to block state and public officers from doing business with the government and requires public servants to declare their wealth, among other proposals.
Olekina was the lead mutilator of the Bill by trivialising the proposals and opining that the stringent measures against public officers be stricken out as a majority supported the ideas.
In a past press address, EACC spokesperson Eric Ngumbi said the commission continues to undertake investigations to address the challenge of corruption in county governments and one of the leading challenges it’s dealing with is the problem of conflict of interest.
“Conflict of interest today can be said to be the bedrock of all the graft cases that EACC is handling. Particularly, cases that involve top state officials including governors where officials do business with the government, where officials compromise public trust and allocate tenders to family members, relatives and associates,” Ngumbi said.
