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| Senator Edwin Sifuna |
Senator Edwin Sifuna has responded to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s (EACC) recent claims that Senate amendments to the Conflict of Interest Bill 2023 will cripple the fight against corruption. Edwin Sifuna (l) and EACC’s CEO Twalib Abdallah Mbarak. Sifuna has responded to EACC’s claims on amendments to the Conflict of Interest Bill 2023. EACC said that the amendments passed by the Senate will allow top state officials to trade with the government and delete a provision that would have enabled the suspension of any government employees facing corruption investigations until they are cleared. “Due to the magnitude of the deletions and amendments by the Senate, the current version of the Bill, now back to the National Assembly, no longer represents the progressive initial Bill which could have significantly addressed current obstacles to effectiveness in the fight against corruption at the national and county levels,” EACC said. Sifuna and Lendama Olekina respond to EACC In a series of tweets, Sifuna dismissed the EACC’s assertions as overblown and accused the commission of attempting to deflect attention from its own failures in dealing with corruption. “Ndio kutoka misa naona mnanitafuta. Outrage is good lakini can we agree that it needs to be informed outrage. The EACC is over sensationalising the Senate Amendments to cover their own failures. The law in Kenya still gives the commission power to prosecute anyone for conflict. I’ll find time to explain the amendments we voted for. One by one,” Sifuna said on his X account. Extensions Senator Ledama Olekina, who was mentioned by EACC as the originator of the amendments, also took to the X platform to criticise the EACC. “EACC is doing what they do best! Talk talk and talk about nothing… let them continue exposing their fakeness! They seem to be high on meth, but soon they will come down!” Olekina said on X. Sifuna further emphasised that conflict of interest and abuse of office remain crimes under the existing Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act. “Conflict of interest is still a crime under the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act. So is abuse of office. The Senate did not amend this at all. It’s still the position of the law. But outrage must outrage,” he tweeted. How Kenyans responded Why did Edwin Sifuna respond to EACC? Senator Sifuna was responding to Kenyans on social media who accused him and other senators who voted for the amendments of hypocrisy. Sifuna and other senators have recently criticised the EACC for failing in the war on corruption. To this, the EACC responded by issuing an explainer on how the senators passed amendments, tripling its efforts against corruption. The Conflict of Interest Bill 2023 is currently in parliament where it was returned with the amendments passed by the Senate for consideration.
by Elijah Ntongai
