Friday, July 23, 2010

PLO Lumumba named KACC boss

President Mwai Kibaki Friday appointed renowned constitutional lawyer PLO Lumumba as the Director of Kenya Anti Corruption Commission (KACC).

In a gazette notice, the President also appointed Prof Jane Onsongo and lawyer Pravin Bowry as Assistant Directors.

Each appointment is for five years. The names were forwared to the President who is the appointing authority last month for gazzettment .

This is after the Parliamentary Select Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs endorsed the three for the positions.

The Abdul Kadir led committee in its reports said it received 63 applicants for the position of KACC director left vacant after parliament rejected the reappointment of Justice Ringera who subsequently resigned and short listed only eight.

The report said it settled on PLO Lumumba even after an objection by nominated MP George Nyamweya based on the fact that he vied for the Kamkunji parliamentary seat and lost in the 2007 elections.

According to the committee the anti corruption and Economic Crimes act only bars a staff from engaging in politics after appointment and that Lumumba was no longer an official or member of any political party hence was best suited to head the anti graft body.

Bowry was selected from 45 applicants based on his experience in constitutional matters spanning 38 years of service as a lawyer.

Prof. Onsongo was picked from 97 applicants based on her knowledge in public administration.

Onsongo was a director department of research at Catholic University of East Africa.

The committee said in selecting the three applicants it relied on the due diligence and transparency and all the requisite laws were followed.

Profile

Dr Lumumba is a former Constitution of Kenya Review Commission Secretary and was instrumental in drafting the Bomas Draft that was defeated in a referendum to enact a new constitution in 2005.

He also contested, and lost, the Kamukunji parliamentary seat during the 2007 General election. He had vied on the ticket of a little known party, Chama Cha Umma (CCU).

Dr Lumumba holds a doctorate degree in law from the University of Gent, Belgium and has taught law at the University of Nairobi for 17 years. He has practiced for 23 years as an advocate of the High Court.

Mr Bowry, an expert in both criminal and civil law, is an advocate of the High Court and the International Criminal Tribunal in Rwanda that seats in Arusha, Tanzania.

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