Reinstatement of Nacada boss raises eyebrows

Interior and Co-ordination Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku addresses the Press at Harambee House. [PHOTO: COLLINS KWEYU/STANDARD]

Nairobi, Kenya: Questions are being raised about the circumstances in which one of the 52 top officials interdicted following the deaths of over 100 people after drinking illicit liquor in May resumed office.

National Authority for the Campaign against Alcohol and Drug Abuse (Nacada) Chief Executive William Okedi has been reinstated after investigators reportedly cleared him.

In a letter dated June 19, the Ministry of Interior and Co-ordination cited investigations that blamed the tragedy on lack of inter-agency co-operation and partnership in fighting illicit brews.

It was on the basis of the letter by Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku, a copy of which we obtained, that Okedi was reinstated. 

“After Investigations into the matter, I have established that the circumstances leading to the presence of illicit and counterfeit alcohol in the market goes beyond the mandate of Nacada and calls for inter-agency co-operation and partnership if the problem has to be effectively addressed,” the letter reads in part.

The ministry is yet to disclose or even share a report on the investigations, considering the Criminal Investigations Department and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) denied involvement, saying they had not prepared a report to that effect.

“CID was not the one handling that matter; we have not prepared a report like that. You can probably check with EACC,” said a top CID official who cannot be named for fear of appearing to contradict his boss.

“EACC is not aware of any such report because we are not handling any file like that. That matter, as you can see, is more criminal than corruption. I have consulted widely here and I can confirm we are not handling it,” said EACC spokesperson Yassin Amaro.

When The Standard contacted the Ministry of Interior for a comment and a copy of the report, Mr Lenku declined to respond to any of the questions we raised, saying: “I know who you are talking for!”

Sources at Nacada said the Interior ministry was pressurising senior Nacada officials to seek ways to clear Okedi. “We were told that the ‘boss’ says he wants us to work around something to clear him but our board was adamant. This is to us a clear attempt to sabotage Nacada’s activities by interested people,” said one source.

Contacted for comment, Okedi only said that the decision had been made by the appointing authority. But Nacada chairman John Mututho said the board was not aware of any investigations that cleared Okedi.

Okedi reported to Nacada offices on Wednesday but was told he could not gain access until the board met to adopt the minister’s directive to lift his interdiction.

This happened even as it emerged that the board was in the process of investigating various allegations against him including the loss of 4,000 alcoholic licences, which are suspected to be in use by illegal traders.