Eurobond circus should be forgotten as it is a scandal that never was

It is no longer a secret that Kenyans have been taken for a torturous wild goose chase in the name of the Eurobond saga.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s official, though unpaid, political role is to critically appraise the Jubilee government and check its excesses or errors of omission.

But Mr Odinga has done a disservice to Kenyans by making them believe that officials in the Jubilee government stole billions of shillings from the Eurobond issued last year.

He has presented no iota of material evidence despite the hollering about the loss of billions of Kenyan taxpayers’ money. 

So far, the Eurobond matter has the benefit of clearance by the Constitutionally-mandated anti-corruption body, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.

The Director of Public Prosecutions has closed the file, of course after a thorough probe.

And Mr Odinga has dodged an appearance before the Parliamentary Accounts Committee on flimsy grounds.

We in Jubilee would not also condone theft of public funds earmarked for infrastructural development. 

That is why we support fight against graft regardless of the perpetrators.

But the Eurobond fiasco is a disappointing hoax.

The Opposition has been recklessly dropping unsubstantiated claims on how the billions were allegedly lost without the benefit of an iota of evidence.

Treasury officials have gone hoarse trying to explain every detail about this money.

Mr Odinga’s political relevance seems to stem from how corrupt he can paint the Jubilee government ahead of 2017.

The Eurobond was supposed to catapult this corrupt image to new levels, only that it has come down crushing.

NOTHING FISHY
When the utilisation of about Sh200 billion was questioned, it first seemed like the Eurobond would mutate to become Jubilee’s Anglo Leasing.

A master of political theatrics, the Opposition leader, early this month, issued a three-day ultimatum to Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Keriako Tobiko, to name the Eurobond thieves failure to which he would name them himself.

Our appetite for the bombshell was whetted, our heart beats rose and generally many characters in government became sweaty in anxiety. Zero.

When Mr Tobiko ignored the empty ultimatum, Mr Odinga took a pen and listed 10 key and strategic government financial officials who would, in their line of duty, handle state loans and their distribution, thereof.

That is how the 10 officials at both the Treasury and Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) found themselves in Mr Odinga’s list of shame.

In essence, there was nothing shocking about this list. It had no surprise names.

It was the usual civil servants on the receiving end of an Opposition only intent to injure the government.

But perhaps the last nail on the Eurobond coffin was the official declaration by the EACC that after its own probe and that of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, it saw no criminal culpability of any top government official.

The investigators, who have deftly unearthed previous misappropriation of public funds, noted they had conducted a money trail of the Eurobond from the Consolidated Fund to specific ministries where there are ongoing projects.

A fortnight ago, the DPP swiftly picked the ball and called for the closure of the file, only leaving the Auditor-General to carry an investigation on how prudently the Euro jackpot was spent.

FORGET IT
My take is that this Eurobond hoax must be buried and forgotten.

It is a dead affair. It is a scandal that never was. It has been used as a yardstick to measure the Opposition’s prowess in irritatingly keeping the government busy.

It must not be allowed as it is an apt example of just how distractive political negative energy can be.

Those fighting graft must be alive to the fact that the war deserves tangible evidence to all allegations made.

The Opposition’s appetite to plant scandals in the dockets whose head they want to hound out office must be tamed.

Respect for civil rights would dictate that public servants must be protected from outright witch-hunt by detractors of the Jubilee government.

And those guilty of betraying our trust on the public purse must undergo the due process of the law to pay for their sins.

Murungi is the South Imenti MP; [email protected]