Elachi blames political rivals for investigations by anti-graft agency
Gender Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Beatrice Elachi yesterday termed as a witch-hunt investigations by the anti-corruption agency into allegations of illegal promotions at City Hall during her tenure as the Nairobi County Assembly Speaker.
Speaking in Nairobi yesterday, Elachi dismissed the probe by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), saying she was being targeted by malicious politicians because of the 2022 election politics.
“I have followed the rules to the letter and will not be cowed into submission by vindictive politicians who are drawing my name into murk.
I’m even ready to face them in court if they can prove that there was waywardness when I was at City Hall,” said Elachi.
Her silence, she said, should not be misconstrued to mean that she had admitted guilt.
“I have kept mum over the wild allegations but let these people speaking on roof tops maligning my name know that it will get worse when I pinpoint them since most of them are thieves,” she said.
Elachi said the issue of promotions at the Assembly started during the tenure of her predecessor Alex Magelo.
“When I came in, no promotions had been done in the County Assembly since 2013 and it was only fair to initiate the process. There was no career progression,” she said.
Illegal conduct
EACC is looking into allegations of unlawful expenditure, loss of public funds and irregular promotion of 28 senior officials when she served as Nairobi County Assembly Speaker.
“The commission pursuant to its constitutional and statutory mandate is investigating allegations of abuse of office against Hon Beatrice Elachi, the former Speaker and chair, Nairobi City County Assembly Service Board, and the illegal conduct of the board,” a letter, signed by EACC Senior Ethics Officer Emily Ibeere dated September 22, reads.
The anti-graft agency has asked the Assembly to furnish its investigators with several documents, including the Assembly’s human resource manual, approved organisational structure from 2014 and a list of principal officers, senior officers and all officers given direct appointments.
This is in addition to a list of all the applicants, long listing and short listing reports, list of interview panelists, individual score sheets and interview reports from September 2020.
