Three nominated to chair graft watchdog

By VITALIS KIMUTAI

Lawyer Erick Mogeni, the chairman of the Kenya Anti-Corruption (KACC) Advisory board is leading the pack of candidates nominated for appointment as the chairman of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC).

Mogeni, a former chairman of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) was nominated together with two others – Mr Mumo Matemu and Dr Sarah Kilemi – by the Selection Panel, which forwarded the names to President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga Thursday morning.

Rose Mambo, chair of the selection panel for EACC chair and commissioners at a press briefing on Thursday. Erick Mogeni, Mumo Matemu and Dr Sarah Kilemi have been nominated for appointment. [Photo: TABITHA OTWORI/STANDARD]

Matemu is an economist at the Kenya Ports Authority while Dr Kilemi has is a development economist with vast experience having worked with various international organisations.

The Selection Panel, which was chaired by Mrs Rose Mambo, also picked four other nominees to be considered for appointment as commissioners in the EACC that would take over from the defunct KACC.

The four nominees are – Prof Jane Kerubo Onsongo, Mr Ochilo Polycarp Omolo, Robert Francis Shaw and Irene Cheptoo Keino.

"We have this morning submitted the names of the nominees to the two Principals for consideration for appointments to the position of chairman and member of the Commission," Mambo said at a press conference at the Public Service Commission (PSC).

Onsongo is a former assistant director at KACC in charge of education while Ms Keino is a former member of the KACC Advisory board.

Shaw is a Nairobi based economist while Omolo is a university lecturer.

Other members of the Selection Panel were - Carol Omondi, Rev. Samuel Kobia, Florence Simbiri – Jaoko, Levi Obonyo, Tache Gollo, Charles Kanjama and John Tuta.

Mambo said that the panel was forced to re-advertise the position of chairman after few women responded to the initial advert.

"Initially, there were only seven women who responded but when we re-advertised 19 other women applied," Mambo said.

She said that women were shying away from applying for positions due to the intrusive nature of the interviews being conducted in full glare of the public and the media.

For the position of member, a total of 164 applicants were received out of which 12 were shortlisted while nine were shortlisted for interview for the position of chairperson.

President Kibaki in consultation with the Prime Minister is expected to pick a chairman and two members of the Commission and forward the list to parliament for vetting before they are appointed.

The new members are expected to take over from KACC whose former director Dr P L O Lumumba was removed from office following the enactment of the new Constitution that gave birth to EACC.

The Commissioners are expected to pick a secretary once they are in office who will coordinate the functions of the new body.

Employees at KACC are expected to transit to EACC but they would first undergo a vetting process to establish their suitability.