Senator Wamatangi tells governors in corruption list to clear their names

Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi has told governors implicated in graft to boldly face the allegations levelled against them and clear their names if they are innocent.

Senator Wamatangi, who spoke in Kikuyu on Sunday evening, said it was unfortunate that the county chiefs were branding the issue, which he described as grave, as a political witch-hunt by their opponents.

“We cannot afford to blame politics on everything even when we are talking about embezzlement of public funds.

“Being elected does not mean that you are immune from being named or investigated over corruption claims like the governors are trying to say,” Mr Wamatangi said, insisting that the governors are not being investigated because of how they used their personal money.

“If President Uhuru Kenyatta, an elected leader, temporarily handed over the mantle to his deputy to go and fight his charges at the International Criminal Court, why can’t these governors do the same?” he asked.

The senator said the report was prepared by the Ethic and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) which is an independent commission and told the county chiefs to stop blaming other people for their misfortunes.

INNOCENT WILL BE EXONERATED

He said being named in the report does not imply guilty, adding that investigations will only nail the guilty and exonerate the innocent.

Thirteen governors were among the 174 government officials named in the EACC report, which also named five Cabinet secretaries, who have already stepped aside to pave the way for investigations.

But governors have said that as elected leaders, they will not step aside, with a majority saying the list was a plot hatched by their political opponents.

Mr Wamatangi said for the Jubilee administration to achieve its promises, transparency and accountability must prevail in both the national and county governments.

“The Controller of Budget, the Commission on Revenue Allocation among others highlighted misuse of funds in the counties and it is regrettable that governors have taken a position that they cannot be questioned by anyone,” he said.

Last year, the Senate Committee on Finance issued summons to four governors, requiring them to appear before it to respond to allegations of misappropriation of funds in their respective counties, but some of them refused to appear.

The senator challenged the institution responsible for the investigations to act with speed and ensure those culpable are prosecuted and not to allow the accused to use their positions to defeat justice.