Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission CEO Twalib Mbarak has said there is no feud between the Commission and the Parliament.
Speaking on Thursday during the AU Anti-Corruption Day at Radisson Blu Hotel, Mbarak said "There is no war between the EACC and the Senate or the National Assembly. We are talking with them daily. We're coming to a middle ground," he said.
This is in relation with the Conflict of Interest Bill which is currently in the National Assembly.
Twalib said they will continue engaging the Houses until the situation becomes a win-win achievement for all institutions involved.
The Conflict of Interests Bill 2023 seeks to maintain public trust in public institutions and reduce the risk of corruption, favouritism and bias, thereby upholding the integrity of public service.
It also seeks to ensure trust between citizens and public institutions.
If the Bill is passed into law, there will be better coordination between conflict-of-interest management and broader anti-corruption initiatives, maximising the effectiveness.
The Conflict of Interest Bill is also meant to ensure that no public or state officers are involved in matters that conflict of interest in all their dealings, and adhere to compliance measures in their dealings at all times.
However, the Senate, charged with ensuring public interest and vested with the power to pass the Bill into law, alongside the National Assembly, have decided to cut its leg by either deleting or watering down its stringent clauses.
The Senate had come under scrutiny from EACC for watering down the bill in radical amendments that would see state officers bid for government tenders.
