Pure economic thuggery. This is how DCI George Kinoti described the extent to which theft is entrenched in State agencies.
So bad is it that thievery and determination to steal are the order of the day and a way of life in public service.
The DCI boss told the Star in an interview that the vested interests of people shielding themselves have impeded efforts to rid the country of graft.
His comments were reminiscent of former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga calling Kenya “a bandit economy’.
Kinoti said a number of graft suspects had found refuge in the DCI and EACC by bribing officials during investigations.
“What we found upon assuming office was mind-boggling. It was pure economic thuggery. Some of the cases, among them very sensitive ones, have been with the EACC for years.”
He said that when he took office a year ago, he found “some difficulties. There are some people who have been seeking refuge elsewhere. We met a culture, a way of life by cartels that were ripping off the State,” he said.
Kinoti says this is the root of the row pitting the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission and the DCI after the latter took up cases.
The DCI has been investigating multi-billion-shilling scandals at the Kenya Pipeline Company, National Youth Service, Kenya Power, NHIF and the National Cereals and Produce Board.
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There was grumbling at the EACC after Kinoti and DPP Noordin Haji escalated the war on graft and took the reins.
The anti-graft agency to some extent opposed the involvement of the DCI in probing cases of theft at the national and county governments.
The anti-corruption body felt its mandate was being usurped.
He cited the Kenya Pipeline Company scandal as among those the EACC had been handling but had not acted upon.
“Some of the cases were sensitive and can’t be spoken about publicly but I am glad the issues have been sorted out. We sat with the DPP after he came in and agreed to go full blast on the cases,” he said.
Kinoti did not blame the EACC, saying it has sometimes taken up DCI cases inadvertently, especially in the counties.
“To end the confusion, we opted to have a specific agency handling a matter or the DPP assigning a case to a given agency,” he said.
Kinoti said the DCI has a haven at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, since all cases by DCI, EACC, and KRA terminate at DPP Noordin Haji’s office.
Kinoti says the DPP has been instrumental in arbitrating the perceived competition by ensuring the cases are assigned to specific agencies.
“Now we ensure that we build strong cases before before presenting them the DPP for prosecution. The office has set the threshold that we must meet before a case proceeds to trial,” the DCI said.
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