Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission CEO nominee Twalib Mbarak on Friday said he will resign in case of attempts to interfere with his work.
The former military intelligence officer pledged to decisively deal with all corruption cases, whether big or small.
“The view that there is a high office that controls the commission won’t exist in my tenure. But if such calls come from the high office and are likely to compromise my work, I will resign and go home,” Mbarak said.
He broke into tears before the Justice and Legal Affairs committee when he spoke about his 91-year-old mother and the role she played in instilling integrity in him.
Mbarak said his mother was an orphan and was married off at the age of 16. She worked hard to raise him to be morally upright, he said.
The nominee was being vetted by the committee chaired by Baringo North MP William Cheptumo.
“I will not get any orders from anywhere. I will be fair to all citizens,” Mbarak said.
He promised to audit “the high voltage files” that have been stuck with the commission for ages to fast track the cases.
Mbarak said he will vet all EACC staff to restore public confidence in the commission.
“Within a 100 days, we are going to revisit the issue of pending cases because some files have stuck there for years. We are going to look and see that these cases are taken to the DPP for prosecution,” Mbarak said.
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He urged MPs to make laws that stipulate the period a case can take before it is determined. Mbarak said some cases take too long to be determined.
“For instance, the cemetery scandal, which started more than seven years ago and was just concluded the other day,” he said.
Mbarak said the commission need more staff to effectively handle graft cases. The EACC currently has 700 employees, including 100 investigators.
There are 2,900 cases currently before the commission. Mbarak said he will propose a legislation to set a threshold of cases the commission can handle at any given time.
“The commission suffers image problem. There is a perception that the EACC is not working, that other state agencies have taken over its roles. This is the image that we are going to restore,” he said.
Mbarak said he will ensure seamless corporation between the commission, Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.
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“The perceived bad blood between the commission and the DCI is an issue of personality and poor coordination,” he said.
Mbarak promised to establish a liaison office that will work closely with the DCI and ODPP for faster probe and prosecution. “I will get in touch with the DPP and DCI to know the information they have that can help us fast track cases,” he said.
Mbarak told the MPs he was worth Sh152 million. He promised to focus on tracing and recovery of stolen assets to deter public officials who might be tempted to steal.
Asked about how he will absorb pressure that comes with the job, Mbarak said, “I have the skin of a rhino and I know that this job does not need a coward or someone who wobbles.”