Top Education ministry officials should step aside over scandal

Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s stand on resignation of Education Minister Prof Sam Ongeri and Permanent Secretary Prof Karega Mutahi pending investigations into the loss of free primary education funds should be supported.

For many Kenyan politicians holding a public office is a matter of life and death as witnessed during Mr Amos Kimunya’s tenure as Minister for Finance.

No thorough investigations will be done while Prof Ongeri and his PS are in office.

They should therefore resign so that independent investigations can be carried out and if found “clean” they will be back to their offices.

Only then can the public and the international community funding the project have confidence in them.

JOYCE NJERU,

Mombasa

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I found the recent remarks by the Prime Minister urging Prof Ongeri and Prof Mutahi to quit as baseless and empty populist propaganda.

One, if the Prime Minister is of the opinion that wherever corruption is detected, the concerned minister should ‘step aside’ , then all ministers should ‘step aside’ as there is no corruption free ministry.

Two, why is the Ministry of Education under more scrutiny than, say, the Ministry of Agriculture?

Why didn’t the Prime Minister recommend to the President that Mr William Ruto and his permanent secretary be suspended pending investigations?

Is it because ‘touching’ Mr Ruto is ‘touching’ the Kalenjin nation whereas ‘touching’ Prof Ongeri is, well, ‘touching’ Prof Ongeri?

Three, why did Mr Odinga decide to inform the public on his advice to the President? How does that help the situation?

The only person who gains is Mr Odinga. He will score a couple of political points ‘in the war on graft.’

Four, what is it with Kenyans and the ‘stepping aside’ craze?

If an independent investigation cannot be conducted with the minister in office, then it cannot be conducted at all, period. Any witness afraid to testify against the minister now, will still be in the good old professor’s cross-hairs even if he were to step aside.

Five, has the Kenyan Anti-Corruption Commission reported any difficulty in investigations due to fear of retribution among potential witnesses?

Six, if the issue is about loss of public confidence, then the public has also lost confidence in many other parastatals. Why doesn’t the Prime minister call for their resignations en masse?

JOHN BARAKA,

Nairobi

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That the small fish are being hauled before a commission of inquiry to answer charges regarding the embezzlement that in the Education ministry while the chief architects continue breathing in opulence is a dragon that every peace loving Kenyan should stand up and slay.

The vice stems from the very people whom we have given responsibility and who should be the ones to resign if anything goes awry in their ministries.

NYONGESA WANYAMA,

Nairobi