EACC DEPUTY CEO SUSPENDED FOR 90 DAYS

EACC DEPUTY CEO SUSPENDED FOR 90 DAYS

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 20 – The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Deputy Chief Executive Officer Michael Mubea was on Monday once again suspended, this time for 90 days.

The decision is said to have been reached after the commission held a meeting over alleged serious allegations of gross misconduct by Mubea.

During the suspension, Mubea will be investigated over the alleged irregular sale of Integrity Centre, which houses the EACC.

The ownership of Integrity Centre remains under investigation by the commission after it was issued with a three month notice to vacate.

The commission is said to trying to ascertain the true owner after reports that it had been transferred to unknown buyers.

EACC chairman Mumo Matemu recently suspended Mubea, who was reinstated hours later by the CEO Halakhe Waqo.

Mubea’s tribulations scaled higher when it emerged he has been earning an illegal salary.

On April 15, the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), confirmed that Mubea illegally earned Sh1.2 million during his term in office from January 2013 to date.

According to its report, Mubea was earning a gross salary of Sh780,000 instead of the Sh550,000 maximum set by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC).

The Ombudsman’s investigation revealed that Mubea negotiated the salary with EACC Vice Chairperson Irene Keino and the negotiations did not involve any other officials.

The Ombudsman recommended that: “EACC to immediately recover Sh1,231,392.20 being net salary overpayment beyond SRC approval to Mr Michael Mubea from January 2014 to March, 2015.”

It is also asked the EACC leadership to take responsibility for failing to implement the SRC’s recommendation on the amount that Mubea should have been earning.

“EACC leadership is collectively culpable of negligence for failing to implement the salary structure for EACC staff as advised by SRC vide letter dated 10th December, 2013,” CAJ said.

The Ombudsman asked for further action to be taken against Mubea for giving misleading information about his salary.

“Mubea knowingly misled the CAJ investigators to believe that he was not aware of and he did not sign the contract with a basic salary starting from Sh400,000 with an annual increment of 5percent,” CAJ asserted.