Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary nominee Aden Duale has said one of the ways in which he avoids being roped into corruption is by ignoring calls made by MPs.
He was answering a question posed by Teso South MP Mary Emase during his vetting by the National Assembly Appointments Committee on Friday.
She had asked about corruption in the recruitment processes, saying when they vetted the former MP in September 2022 on the same, he promised to deliver.
“But Honorable Duale I put it to you that you disappointed the country,” she added that Duale presided over an increase in the recruitment process of members of the Kenya Defence Forces.
She stated that at some time, efforts to reach Duale after their constituents complained to them, were unfruitful.
“You could not pick up our calls. So now my question is, why should we trust you?” Emase posed.
“Why should we believe that you are not going to transfer this corruption to the Ministry of Environment because even there, there is recruitment of forest warden?”
She urged Duale to assure Kenyans that if appointed, he would do something different at the Ministry of Environment.
Answering the question, Duale said, “I refused to pick up your call and other peoples’ calls because of corruption”.
He said most people who called or texted during the recruitment period wanted employment favours.
Duale revealed that he even directed some MPs to visit the nearest Subcounty recruitment centre.
He however apologised to Emase.
“So I’m very sorry Honorable Emase if I didn’t pick up your call. I was scared you would ask me to recruit somebody for you and that is the level of how I abhor corruption,” he said.
Raising on a point of order, Emase said she was calling the then Defence CS to seek clarification with respect to concerns raised by her constituents that those who were successful and had reported to the training camp were being chased away over flimsy reasons.
Emase said she had to look for a chairman of a committee to reach the former Defence CS.
She alleged that the lost slots were then sold for Sh700,000 to Sh1 million.
Duale however said those who leave are not replaced.
