Interior Cabinet Secretary has asked IEBC and EACC to tighten their rope in clearing politicians to lockout criminals who are running for seats in the August 9 general elections.
Speaking on Tuesday, May 10 at the NCAJ conference, Matiangi revealed that the intelligence shows that 40 per cent of the aspirants are engaged in the ‘wash wash’, drug trafficking, money laundering and corruption, among other dirty business acts.
According to the CS, the intelligence revealed that the alleged criminals were the most popular candidates on the ground, and so have the best chance of obtaining those seats.
“We might have criminals as over 40 per cent of elected officeholders if we allow all the ‘wash wash’ gangs and other criminals to bribe their way into the coming elections,” said Matiangi.
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The Interior CS stated that the criminals were using their illicit funds to buy voters and influence them in order to achieve their goals.
Once in government, he said, the criminals will use their influence to corrupt their offices and impede investigations of their crimes.
The CS requested that the agencies responsible for vetting candidates tighten the net and ensure that only those who pass the integrity test are permitted to compete.
Matiang’i noted that the responsibility should not be delegated just to the electoral agency, adding that effective vetting required the collaboration of all Chapter Six institutions.
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