EACC says vetting committee to decide Oparanya's fate, refutes blocking his nomination

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has refuted claims that it has refused to clear Wycliffe Oparanya, the nominee for Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development.

In a statement released on Saturday, the EACC clarified that its role does not involve clearing or barring candidates for public office but rather providing factual information regarding their integrity status without passing any judgement.

“The Commission has noted a false narrative being bandied around by a section of leaders that it "refused to clear Wycliffe Oparanya for appointment as Cabinet Secretary. This is not the true position. The Commission clarifies that in its role in the integrity vetting of candidates for public office under the current law, the Commission cannot clear or bar anyone from holding any office in the land,” EACC said.

The EACC emphasised that it only provides facts upon request from Parliament and that the final decision on a nominee's appointment rests with the Committee on Appointments, which is responsible for the vetting process. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula chairs the Committee on Appointments.

“The Commission did this for all the CS nominees upon the request of Parliament. It is now up to the Parliamentary Vetting Committee to decide what to do with that information,” it said.

EACC also responded to a letter that recommended against clearing certain nominees, pointing out that the letter is available to the public as part of Parliamentary records.

Speaker Moses Wetangula and his deputy Gladys Boss follow proceedings during the vetting of CS nominees on Saturday, August 3, 2024.(Photo: Parliament)

“For more clarity, there is nowhere in our letter to the National Assembly where the Commission recommended that anybody should or should not be cleared or appointed,” the Commission said.

Additionally, the EACC addressed ongoing concerns related to an unresolved corruption case involving Oparanya. Despite a recent letter from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) withdrawing earlier recommendations to prosecute Oparanya, the EACC, in a statement on Friday, maintained that it did not accept the reversal.

The EACC also noted that the Commission's communication with the DPP regarding his change of mind on Oparanya's prosecution is a completely different and broader issue.

The Commission had insisted that former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya, who has been nominated to join President William Ruto’s Cabinet, still faces an unresolved corruption case. It stated that it did not accept the DPP's withdrawal of recommendations to prosecute Oparanya.

This was after Oparanya’s lawyers, led by Ken Nyaundi, accused EACC of malice for insisting that the former governor still had an outstanding corruption case. The Commission, however, distanced itself from the accusations.

The Commission added that it reiterated its earlier recommendation to charge all suspects, including Oparanya, in response to the DPP’s withdrawal letter.

Oparanya is scheduled to appear before MPs for vetting on Sunday.