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| EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak |
The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has sought to object to the vetting and, by extension, the approval of former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya into the Cabinet. EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak (pictured) officiating at a past EACC function. President William Ruto proposed that Oparanya heads the Co-operatives and MSMEs Development Ministry. But in a letter addressed to the clerk of the National Assembly, EACC’s chief executive Twalib Mbarak asked the House to strike Oparanya out of the list of Cabinet nominees awaiting vetting. The former county boss is scheduled to appear before the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointment on Sunday, August 1. Mbarak argued that a probe into Oparanya’s conduct during his tenure at the Kakamega county headquarters proved he had graft cases to answer, with a report recommending his prosecution having already been submitted to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). “The commission conducted an investigation on allegations of corruption against the nominee (Oparanya) for offences committed during his stint as the Governor of Kakamega County,” partly read Mbarak’s letter. Among the charges preferred against Oparanya are money laundering, corruption, abuse of office and conflict. The former governor’s temporary lifeline has been a conservatory order he obtained from the Kakamega High Court, stopping his arrest and prosecution. The EACC succeeded in obtaining an order from the Nairobi High Court to withhold KSh 28 million in Oparanya’s account(s). Last year, the former county boss had run-ins with the anti-graft agency whose detectives raided his homes and effected arrests. On August 23, 2023, Oparanya and his two wives were detained in the EACC offices in the course of investigations. The trio was apprehended over alleged economic crimes committed during the politician’s reign as Kakamega governor. The EACC has been running after Oparanya over a supposed dissipation of over KSh 1.3 billion.