Twalib Abdallah Mbarak takes oath of office as EACC Secretary/Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Twalib Abdallah Mbarak formally took office at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) after a swearing-in ceremony held at the Supreme Court of Kenya, on 14th January, 2019. He is the Commission’s second Secretary/Chief Executive Officer since EACC was established to replace the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission in 2012. He took over from Mr. Halakhe Waqo whose Six-year tenure expired on 10th January 2019. The event was presided over by the Chief Justice, Hon. David Maraga.

Mr. Twalib Mbarak taking an oath of office during the swearing-in ceremony as the Secretary/CEO of EACC at the Supreme Court on Monday, January 14th, 2019.
The Attorney General, Justice (Rtd.) Paul Kihara, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Noordin Haji, Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti and EACC Chairman Eliud Wabukala, EACC Commissioners, EACC Deputy Secretary and outgoing Secretary Mr. Halakhe Waqo witnessed his swearing-in. In his speech, Mbarak sent a warning message to graft lords, stating that it will not be business as usual.
He said he is committed to make corruption a high-risk venture in the country. “Kenya will be an inhospitable place for corrupt individuals. I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience from both the law enforcement and corporate background… I need the support of all stakeholders, particularly the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, the Media sector and Citizens in general,” he said.

EACC Sectary/CEO, Mr. Twalib Mbarak looks on as the Chief Justice, Hon. David Maraga signs his Oath of Office.

Mr. Mbarak said that his appointment comes at a time when the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission is in a good place to do just that. “There is an increase in resources allocated in the fight against corruption; the human capacity has been strengthened and the silo-mentality of law enforcement agencies is significantly reduced by the Multi-Agency approach”, he said.
The newly appointed CEO outlined the Commission’s blueprint which will focus on the following: –

1.  Law enforcement: the CEO intends to effectively use the resources available to tackle impactful investigations. He will conduct a comprehensive audit of cases with a view to prioritize investigations based on factors such as the value of the subject matter, personalities involved and public interest.
   In addition, he said there is need to ensure expeditious completion of investigations. He will review the processes and unblock any procedural bottlenecks that prevent us from working effectively.
   He said he is aware that corruption is becoming increasingly multi-jurisdictional and complex, so strengthening and deepening relationships that will facilitate the investigative process will be a major focus for him.
   In addition, he aims to build the Commission’s intelligence capabilities and undercover operations in order to use information not only for reactive purposes but to improve knowledge on emerging threats and to identify proactive investigative lines.
2.  Asset Recovery: He stated that, financial gain is often the motive for corruption. In many cases, the corrupt will fight harder to protect their ill-gotten wealth from confiscation than they would do to avoid imprisonment.
   He intends to improve the capacity of the asset recovery function of the Commission and to leverage on the skills in the Multi-Agency Team. Once the gain is seized from the corrupt individuals the deterrence effect is monumental.
3. Public Awareness/Education: For so many years, corrupt individuals have denied us an opportunity to live up to the promise and dreams of our founding fathers and mothers. This has resulted to public apathy towards anti-corruption initiatives and activities.

EACC Secretary/CEO, Mr. Twalib Mbarak making his maiden speech immediately after taking oath of office at the Supreme Court on Monday, January 14th, 2019.