The commission will investigate complaints involving corruption, economic crimes and unethical conduct.
KPA said 4,734 fishermen displaced by the Lamu port are meant to share the money. It was to be disbursed in 45 days since commencement of the exercise on March 22 this year.
The halt came as a huge disappointment to the thousands of legitimate beneficiary fishers who have been waiting the money since May 2018.
That's when the Malindi High Court ordered the state to pay the fishermen after the Lapsset project was found to have disrupted both the cultural and economic activities of the fishing community in Lamu.
Following the EACC’s directive, angry fishermen expressed issued a-14 day ultimatum for the state and KPA to pay up, otherwise, they threatened mass protests.
Speaking on Monday, however, Governor Issa Timamy called for patience from the aggrieved fishermen and urged them to allow the graft body to do its job.
Timamy said he had confirmation the initial list contained hundreds of names of impostors who had been paid to pose as fishermen at the expense of the legitimate fishermen.
The governor’s signature is required and is among the final validation steps to enable compensation.
Timamy said he would never sign his signature unless all the names of all genuinely affected fishermen appear on the final list.
He said he was not in any way opposed to compensation but opposed any malpractices denying the people of Lamu what they have patiently awaited for many years.
“All I am saying is that let justice be served to all who deserve it and it’s because of that I am asking Lamu fishermen to be patient and allow the EACC to investigate this whole thing," the governor said.
"What I will not do is to sign something that’s not truthful. The list I saw was a disappointment,” Timamy said.
The governor called on the aggrieved fishers to avoid politicising the matter as his focus is on justice being served and on the rightful beneficiaries to get paid.
