NAIROBI, Kenya Dec 7 – Abdi Mohamud has been appointed as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) chairperson following his vetting and approval by Members of Parliament.
The appointment was made by the anti-graft agency’s chairman David Oginde through a gazette notice.
According to the notice, Oginde stated that Mohamud will serve as CEO for a period of six years, effective January 11, 2025.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by section 16 (1) of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2011, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission appoints Abdi Ahmed Mohamud to be the Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the Commission,” Oginde indicated in the notice.
The National Assembly Justice and Legal Affairs Committee chaired by Tharaka Member of Parliament George Murugara tabled the report on his approval hours after his vetting.
“That taking into consideration the findings of the committee on the vetting of the nominee, this House approves appointment of Mr Mohamud as the secretary and CEO of the EACC,” the report read.
During his vetting before the House team, Mohamud who has a net worth of Sh135 million boasted of being the suitable successor of Twalib Mbarak, whose six-year non-renewable term expired.
Mohamud, who has previously served as a police investigator and a trained lawyer will be the first office holder to have risen through the ranks to scale up to the post as previous Chief Executive Officers are political appointees.
“If approved, I will be the first CEO of the commission who is an insider and who understands the inside of the commission,” he said.
Mohamud disclosed delays in charging suspects has derailed the war against corruption especially in the public service where high levels of corruption have been reported.
“The level of corruption in the country is extremely high. If people are investigated and charged quickly it will be justice served for the people,” the nominee said.
He assured the MPs that he will bank on his 30 years’ experience in fighting corruption to take the war against graft to the next level with a view of strengthening the Leadership and Integrity Act to make it effective.
“The Leadership and Integrity Act is not in conformity with Chapter Six of the constitution. This law has a lot of gaps that have not helped in the anti-graft campaign because we only enforce what is there,” said Mohamud.
Mohamud dispelled the assertion that he is a political appointee and will only become a State’s conveyor belt to weaponize the war against corruption, noting that it is the law that will guide him.
He told the MPs that the commission has recovered over Sh4.5 billion a year for the last five years.
He revealed plans to have talks with the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) over the possibility of having EACC lawyers be part of the DPP’s prosecution team in the cases investigated by the commission.
Mohamud has dedicated his career to addressing corruption and other economic crimes, which he says has made significant contributions to the field.
Before his current position, Mohamud served as the Director in charge of Investigations at the EACC for over a decade, overseeing high-profile cases and led various investigative initiatives of the commission.
His journey in law enforcement began in 1989 when he joined the Kenya Police Service as a Cadet Inspector.
In 2005, he transitioned to the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), which later became the EACC, initially taking on the role of Senior Officer in charge of the Rapid Response Division (RPD) and progressively advancing to lead the Directorate of Investigation.
If the House adopts the committee’s report and is subsequently appointed by President William Ruto, Mohamud will take over from becoming the commission’s fourth CEO under the 2010 constitution.
Source: capitalfm
