EACC on the right path in war on corruption
The war on graft is finally yielding fruit and the apparent hero is the initially much-maligned Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC). Thanks to its ruthlessly and meticulously waged campaign, a lot of resources that had been diverted to line the pockets of a few crooked government officials and their associates have either been seized or are within reach.
If there was ever any doubt that crime does not pay, however long it takes, then this is it. These officials might have thought they had it all sorted, having stolen and piled away public assets, until the EACC sleuths came calling.
If all the other government agencies could do just a little of what the commission has accomplished in recent months, the endemic corruption in the public sector could be easily tamed.
We have lately heard fascinating and unbelievable stories of junior civil servants who earn only tens of thousands of shillings a month, but whose bank accounts are bursting with hundreds of millions. The courts also deserve kudos for quickly granting orders to enable the recovery of the stolen assets. This collaboration is hugely beneficial to the country, as the recovered assets can now be put to the intended purposes.
In one of the cases, the High Court has ordered the freezing of two properties belonging to the wife of a former governor pending the conclusion of a suit for the recovery of more than Sh542 million allegedly siphoned out. And in another one, a former Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) official has paid a cool Sh7.5 million fine to gain his freedom. He had been convicted of involvement in a Sh1.3 billion tender scandal for the supply of election materials.
The EACC is seeking to recover corruptly acquired assets worth Sh33 billion in various courts across the country. The commission has already concluded investigations into 501 cases, and 191 have been disposed of. It has also averted the loss of nearly Sh32.5 billion through proactive investigations.
The EACC’s success should send a clear message to would-be offenders that they will not escape the consequences of looting public cash. The agency should not relent in its remarkable anti-graft war.
