- “I do get threats, but I’m not scared, I’m not a coward. In the military, we say ‘cowards die many times.’ And I’m not a coward, I’ll die once, not many times."
- Mbarak was sworn in as CEO of EACC in January 2019, taking over from Halakhe Waqo whose six-year tenure ended.
Image: LEAH MUKANGAI
Being in charge of a whole commission whose mandate is to investigate corruption matters and recommend prosecution is no easy job.
Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chief Executive Officer Twalib Mbarak has investigated big names in the country including public officers such as Governors.
With such a task, Mbarak while appearing on JKL, Citizen TV Wednesday, revealed that he has received numerous death threats, mostly from politicians who are the subject of investigations by the commission.
“If you are the CEO of EACC and someone calls you and says ‘we are going to sack you, tengeneza hii kesi,’ and you start panicking, what will happen?" he posed.
"You will run down the organization. Instead, when such a person comes, tell them ‘the only solution for this case is one, tell the person to get good lawyers, tukutane kortini,’” Mbarak added
Despite the threats, the EACC boss said he had remained firm and unbowed and continues to discharge his mandate.
Mbarak maintained that he has remained unbowed and continues executing his mandate despite the said threats.
The anti-graft agency boss said that he does not cower in the face of dubious threats to his person, and instead handles the antagonists head-on and with bravery.
“I do get threats, but I’m not scared, I’m not a coward. In the military, we say ‘cowards die many times.’ And I’m not a coward, I’ll die once, not many times," he added.
Mbarak was sworn in as CEO of EACC in January 2019, taking over from Halakhe Waqo whose six-year tenure ended.
The mandate of the Commission is to combat and prevent corruption through law enforcement, preventive measures, education, and promotion of standards and best practices in integrity and ethics.
In the last five years, the Commission undertook 444 digital forensic and 836 forensic document examinations.
It extracted 1,583 Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (IFMS) Reports.
"A total of 752 files on corruption, economic crimes, and unethical conduct were forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP)," EACC said.
Out of these, the Commission recommended 435 for prosecution, 55 for administrative action, 152 for closure, and 110 for other action.
The EACC supported the prosecution of 1,710 cases in court resulting in 168 convictions, 96 acquittals, and 49 withdrawals/discharges.
During this period, the Commission in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General, helped in the development of the National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Policy, Sessional Paper No. 2 of 2018.
The paper was adopted in 2020.
The Commission also submitted memoranda to the Parliament with proposals to amend the Bribery Act of 2016, to include both private and public entities in the scope of the application of the Act.