President Uhuru Kenyatta moves to rein in corruption in State of the Nation speech

President Uhuru Kenyatta has moved to tame the spiralling corruption in his government by ordering all top public officers adversely mentioned in various graft scandals to step aside.

The President, who was addressing the nation during his official parliamentary State of the Nation address, said he had attached a confidential report listing scandals and names of various public officers who have been under investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

Some of the top public institutions and state departments recently involved in high-stakes corruption cases include the ministry of Energy, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, a number of state corporations and several county governments.

“Today, I take the extraordinary step of attaching the afore-mentioned confidential report from the CEO of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission as an annex to my annual report on values to Parliament,” said President Kenyatta.

He further added: “Consequently, I hereby direct that all officials of the national and county governments that are adversely mentioned in this report, whether you are a Cabinet secretary, principal secretary, or chief executive of a State institution, to immediately step aside pending conclusion of the investigations of the allegations against them.”

He urged the other arms of government such as the legislature and the Judiciary to do the same.

SURPRISE MOVE

The President’s surprise move on corruption won a standing ovation in Parliament as MPs from both sides thunderously cheered him.

(READ: Uhuru's State of the Nation speech - as it happened)

Earlier, the President mentioned various parliamentary committees, the EACC and the judicial system of undermining the war against graft in the country by engaging in activities that undermined the government operation against graft.

Some of the key figures recently featured in cases under investigations by the EACC include the chairman of the IEBC, Ahmed Issack Hassan, and Energy Cabinet Secretary Davies Chirchir. The two were mentioned in the Chickengate scandal.

Two weeks ago, the President warned that persons involved in corruption in his government would be expelled from the government.

In his address, the President also announced he was initiating a restorative process in the country by offering a State apology for all wrongs and ills committed against Kenyans by his government and the past regime.

The President’s apology is in line with a recommendation in the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission report that was handed over to him in 2013.

RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

He announced a Sh10 billion fund to support restorative justice similar to the one started in post-apartheid South Africa after the African National Congress took over power.

The President took advantage of his State of the Nation address in Parliament on Thursday to enumerate various achievements by his government as he begins his third year in office.

President Kenyatta, whose administration has been accused by the Opposition of abetting corruption and exposing the country to high levels of insecurity, told Kenyans that his government had made tremendous gains in enabling a strong economic growth since he came to power.

He said his government would now increase the number of recruits to the country’s National Police Service to 10,000 as part of a major plan to face insecurity concerns head-on.

His speech touched on a number of issues and sectors, including economic growth, development in the energy sector, health-care systems, the standard gauge railway and digital television migration, among others.