President told off for attack on Ouko

ODM leaders have told off President Uhuru Kenyatta for criticising opposition leader Raila Odinga and Auditor General Edward Ouko over Eurobond claims.

The seven leaders asked the Head of State to get rid of corruption in his government instead of blaming other agencies or resign since the buck stops with him.

The leaders, who included Kisumu Senator Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o, the party’s secretary of political affairs, Mr Opiyo Wandayi (Ugunja), and national treasurer Timothy Bosire (Kitutu Masaba), said the President’s blame game was a clear abdication of duty as the head of the republic.

President Kenyatta on Tuesday used an anti-corruption conference at State House, Nairobi, to speak out on the controversial Eurobond saga, dismissing opposition politicians and Mr Ouko (below) for pursuing “a matter that had long been closed by the relevant financial institutions”.

Both the President and Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich insisted that all the Sh280 billion raised from the Eurobond had been put to the intended use.

Mr Wandayi said: “It was in extreme bad taste and most uncivil of the President to single out Auditor General Ouko for a tongue-lashing in public. It smacks of dictatorship. He has all the intelligence briefing about all mega corruption cases. He does not need the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission or Police.”

Prof Nyong’o said: “The Auditor-General is constitutionally empowered to go anywhere on earth looking for evidence in doing his work. His Excellency cannot audit himself nor can he prescribe to the auditor how to do his work.”

Mr Bosire likened the Head of State to a general crying before his soldiers. “If you are at war as the commander and you have lost the war, the best thing to do is to resign,” the MP said.

“As ODM, in the circumstances, we’re calling on the President to resign before we consider impeaching him,” he added.

Mr Midiwo accused the Head of State of being an absentee leader for lamenting about corruption in his government.

“It is unbelievable that corruption is happening under his watch as the President. The Jubilee corruption index is greater than any other past regime in this Country,” said the National Assembly deputy minority leader.

He went on: “It was suspicious for him (President) to caution the Auditor General against going to America to probe the Eurobond claims.”

Mr Ouko had indicated that he wanted to travel to New York to interview Federal Reserve Bank officials, following claims that they could have taken part in falsifying Kenya’s records on Eurobond.

Criticising Mr Ouko, President Kenyatta said: “Na huyu amesema anataka kuenda kuinterrogate (And this man here says he wants to interrogate) Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Ngai! (My God!) Anyway, you know, you sit back and you ask yourself, are we being serious in what we are doing?”

But Prof Nyong’o said: “The President did a terrible thing to attack the Auditor Genera. The Auditor is constitutionally empowered to go anywhere on Earth looking for evidence in doing his work. H.E (His Excellency) cannot audit himself nor can he prescribe to the Auditor how to do his work.”

Mr Bosire likened the Head of State to a general crying before his soldiers.

“If you are at war as the commander and a general and you cry to your lieutenants it means you have lost the war and the best thing to do is to resign,” the Kitutu Masaba MP said.

LOST THE WAR

Mr Kaluma said the President has lost the war against corruption adding that he has dashed any hope the people of Kenya retained upon him to lead the war against corruption.

“Blaming the judiciary is diversionary: courts never decide the people to charge and the evidence to adduce! The fight against corruption is long lost under Jubilee and will never be found. We need to give EACC the power to prosecute corruption cases. How will Jubilee persuade us that it is fighting corruption when known suspects of graft are walking freely and are crowned Jubilee “Gold cert” members?” he posed.

Mr Wandayi accused President Kenyatta of “simply feigning helplessness in the fight against corruption in order to hoodwink the public.”

He said: “Everyone knows that with or without the so-called independent institutions or agencies, the war against corruption can never be won without a demonstrated political will at the highest level. The buck squarely stops with the President.”

Ms Wanga said: “We have never seen any president in the history of this country pleading helplessness. If he wanted to fight corruption, he would. Only he has no political will. In summary we have an ineffective lame duck president not deserving of a second term.”

Ms Ombaka said President Kenyatta is not able to run the country.

“President Uhuru Kenyatta has admitted that his government is corrupt and that he is powerless hence incapable of managing this country. Jubilee government must therefore go home. Raila and his Cord brigade is ready to take over the country’s leadership come 2017 General Elections,” she said.

On Tuesday, Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi also faulted the President for speaking as if he had given up in the fight against corruption by blaming other State agencies tasked with fighting the crime.

He said: “What then is the message to ordinary Kenyans? That they should learn to live with corruption that takes away their livelihoods?  The insinuation that he (President Kenyatta) is powerless against corruption because of constitutional limitations is extremely alarming.”