No evidence: EACC closes probe into Ruto diplomat nominee Ezra Chiloba
Los Angeles, USA Consul General nominee Ezra Chiloba before the Nelson Koech-led National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations for vetting on April 11, 2024.
Former Communications Authority (CA) Director General (DG) Ezra Chiloba heaved a sigh of relief after the anti-graft agency cleared him of any culpability in the management of the staff mortgage scheme at the parastatal.
Mr Chiloba, who on Thursday appeared before the National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations led by Belgut MP Nelson Koech for vetting as Kenya's Consular General in Los Angeles, California State, USA, was exonerated by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).
Mr Chiloba had a tough time during the vetting process as his controversial resignations from both the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), where he served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and the Communications Authority came back to haunt him.
Mr Chiloba was put on the spot for "leaving a trail of destruction, scandals, causing divisions and being a restless person" in every organisation he served.
The committee expressed concern that given his record, the nominee risks creating another scandal in his new post and leaving in a huff, thereby bringing Kenya into disrepute if he is approved by the National Assembly.
But the EACC's letter to the committee appeared to have eased Mr Chiloba's hurdles, with MPs relying on the clearance to determine his suitability for the foreign service.
In a letter dated April 4, 2024, and addressed to the Director General of the CA, David Mugonyi, the commission said there was insufficient evidence to support the allegations against Mr Chiloba.
“The investigation established that there was insufficient evidence to support the allegation against Ezra Chiloba and other officials of the authority,” reads part of the letter.
“This is therefore to bring to your attention that the matter was closed with no further action pursuant to section 25A of the ACECA of 2023. However, we recommend that the authority reviews its human resource policy and procedure manual,” further reads the EACC letter.
Mr Chiloba resigned from CA in October last year amid reports of mismanagement of millions of shillings from the authority's mortgage scheme.
Although the EACC cleared Mr Chiloba of any wrongdoing at CA, it is not automatic that MPs will approve his nomination.
'Scandalous person'
Baringo Central MP Joshua Kandiye did not mince his words, calling the former IEBC CEO a 'scandalous person' who cannot be trusted with another job.
“I'm afraid you seem to be a scandalous person. Will you not produce another scandal? in Los Angeles? The reports of what happened at IEBC and CA are all out there for everyone," Mr Kandiye said.
"I'm afraid this gentleman will go to LA and produce another scandal. I've worked in LA and there are many Kenyans who live there," Mr Kandiye added.
Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan said there are doubts about Mr Chiloba's personality.
"You're a restless person. (You) have left the last two organisations in crisis. There is a problem. Can we trust you with this job?” he wondered.
"Can you assure us that you will represent Kenya as a consular and won't leave in a huff?" he asked.
Mr Chiloba's net worth of Sh800 million also raised eyebrows as MPs demanded answers as to how he could have acquired so much at the age of 46.
Accumulate Sh800 million
"You have never served in the private sector yet you have been able to accumulate Sh800 million at only 46 years. Can you explain this?" asked Mr Hassan.
Mr Chiloba defended himself against public lynching over his resignation from the IEBC and the CA, saying both institutions attract a lot of interest not only from the public but also from the political class.
"IEBC manages our politics and attracts a lot of interest and at CA, there is a lot of money and lots of it. So when one is in these positions, they must justify where they are there," Mr Chiloba said.
On his departure from the IEBC, Mr Chiloba, without going into details, said he had made many reforms during his tenure, some of which were used in the 2022 elections, but the focus was always on what went wrong.
"Personally, I contributed to some reforms which were even used by the commission to manage the last elections. But we are always checking on what has gone wrong," Mr Chiloba said.
"A lot of people talk about me but they don't know me. We cannot talk about integrity without justice."
At the CA, Mr Chiloba described his departure as unfortunate but informed the committee that the EACC had already cleared him.
Not given an opportunity
"The matter was investigated and EACC has given me a clean bill of health. The EACC noted that I was not given an opportunity to explain myself on the matter," Mr Chiloba said.
On the accumulation of his wealth, Mr Chiloba said he had started working while still a student at the University of Nairobi and had also earned a decent income from his previous employment.
The committee also raised questions about the qualifications of Charles Githinji, who has been nominated as ambassador to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) saying the nominee demonstrated a lack of understanding of diplomatic issues.
For example, Mr Githinji did not know what GDP (Gross Domestic Product) stands for. He told the committee that GDP means the total population of a country.
Interestingly, Mr Githinji also told the committee that he did not know what EACRF (East African Community Regional Force) stood for. When asked about countries that share borders with the DRC, he mentioned Malawi.
“It’s very disappointing and frustrating interviewing you when you don’t even know what EACRF is,” committee chairman Nelson Koech told the nominee.
The committee will be retreating to a hotel in Nairobi on Friday to prepare a report on the nominees to be presented to Parliament next week on Tuesday.
The vetting committee is expected to present its report next week and the nominee can either be approved or rejected.
