Justice and Equity Council UK Raises Alarms over Vetting Committee’s Conduct
Through its Chairman, Sebastian Onyango,the Council has expressed grave concerns regarding the conduct of the Vetting Committee of the National Assembly.
“We strongly condem the committee’s apparent failure to scrutinize the sources of wealth acquired by nominees during their political tenure, which commenced 22 months ago,”added Onyango in a statement to the media.
They criticized the vetting process, pointing out that several nominees have amassed wealth within this short period, which ordinarily would take over two decades to acquire.
They say the lack of effort to verify if this newfound wealth has been declared for income tax purposes and whether the relevant taxes have been paid was highlighted as a significant oversight.
“It appears that the vetting committee is wasting public funds by window dressing instead of carrying out their constitutional mandate faithfully and properly,” read the statement.
The council condemned the decision not to block nominees with ongoing investigations and corruption cases, calling it a blatant disregard for public interest and justice.
Particularly, the council singled out the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr. Renson Igonga, for his role in what they described as the conspiracy to negotiate plea bargains that favor corrupt officials.
The case of the former governor of Migori, Mr. Obado, was highlighted when a plea bargain of KES 235 million was entered despite the Economic and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) tracking properties worth KES 1.9 billion looted by Mr. Obado and his family.
“This is total disregard of public interest for which the DPP stands guilty of abuse of office. There is no commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability by the DPP,” the council asserted.
The Justice and Equity Council UK also accused the DPP of withdrawing several high-profile corruption cases without providing reasons, indicating a serious abuse of discretionary powers.
Notable instances include the withdrawal of consent to prosecute the former Governor of Kakamega upon his nomination for a Cabinet Secretary position and the termination of corruption cases against Hon. Najib Balala over procurement irregularities at Ronald Ngala College.
The council warned that the losses incurred due to these actions would be recovered from the DPP and his associates meddling with corruption cases before the court. They emphasized that the constitution mandates no state official to blame higher powers for their duties’ discharge or lack thereof.
In a call to action, the council urged Kenyans to support independent institutions to protect the country from corrupt political figures. “The time when politicians looted public coffers and expected their tribe or parties to protect them from the law is gone,” the statement declared.
The council called on the Director of Public Prosecutions to ensure that all governors who have misappropriated public funds are prosecuted swiftly and that the stolen finances are recovered in full. The statement closed with a rallying cry for Kenyans to continue whistleblowing any breaches of public trust to safeguard the nation’s integrity and resources.
This scathing critique from the Justice and Equity Council UK underscores the urgency for reform and accountability within Kenya’s political and judicial systems, aiming to restore public trust and uphold the rule of law.
