Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party leader Raila Odinga has called for investigators from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to lead the war on graft, stating that there was no point of waiting on drawn-out processes by institutions such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Speaking on Thursday at Sabaki, Machakos County where he had gone to console the family of deceased Migori Senator Ben Oluoch Okello, Raila stated that proper investigations and prosecution of culprits in corruption cases should be given top priority.
“We do not want witch-hunt. We want proper investigations and prosecutions of those guilty of corruption. We want our people to earn a living and income through their sweat. We cannot glorify theft.
"Theft is now called corruption… Theft is theft and these people are just thieves,” he asserted.
Noting that corruption was one of the nine items identified in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between President Uhuru Kenyatta and himself, the opposition chief stated that their handshake was 'already causing jitters'.
[caption caption="EACC's Integrity Centre Headquarters"]
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“A lot has been said but what remains is that we must slay the dragon eating into the fabric of our society,” he reiterated.
Raila's statement comes even as Parliament kicked off a move to have the EACC disbanded.
The amendment bill sponsored by Aldai MP Cornelly Serem seeks to repeal article 79 of the Constitution which establishes the anti-graft agency.
Serem maintained that the body needed to go as it had failed to effectively execute its mandate according to the 2010 constitution.
"EACC has demonstrated a failure to address issues under its mandate leading to the current rampant cases of corruption in the country.
"The commission unnecessarily duplicates the investigative work of the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) under the National Police Service (NPS)," Serem states in the bill.
Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji last week returned 57 files on high-profile corruption cases to the body as he faulted them for undertaking shoddy investigations.
[caption caption="Cornelly Serem at a past press conference"]
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