Uhuru did well by letting Kinisu go and now its Wario’s turn for Rio Olympics debacle

Former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) Chairman Philip Kinisu before Parliamentary Justice and Legal Affairs Committee at Parliament Buildings on August 26, 2016. Mr Kinisu has been under fire for not disclosing information and refusing to reveal his association with Esaki Ltd. PHOTO | WILLIAM OERI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Kenyans must change their attitude and nurture a new way of life devoid of corruption.
  • The President must let it be seen that fighting corruption and impunity in government is the right and moral thing to do.

A year ago, President Uhuru Kenyatta declared he had personally drawn the line on corruption and challenged Parliament and the Judiciary to do the same.

Though it did not help hasten the war on graft, the statement sent a strong message from the highest office in the land that there was no holding back and that when people are implicated in corruption, there is every likelihood they would not get protection from the house on the hill.

So it did not come as a surprise when Mr Philip Kinisu handed in his resignation after the Parliamentary Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs ruled that there are enough grounds to remove the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission chairman and forward his case to the President to open a tribunal to investigate his conduct.

Mr Kinisu has been under fire for not disclosing information and refusing to reveal his association with Esaki Ltd, a company owned by his family where he was a director and shareholder.

The company had dealings with the National Youth Service, which was under investigation by the EACC.

Esaki was paid Sh35.4 million for supplies to NYS between October 2014 and November 2015.

So when the information became public, President Kenyatta did well not to intervene to save the EACC boss.

This confirms that the impunity many public servants have been acting upon has since been uncovered and everyone has realised that there will be no support coming their way to justify their actions in the event they are deemed not fit.

It is against this backdrop that President Kenyatta’s war on corruption can be seen as serious and although there are no big fishes that have been successfully prosecuted, the decision not to interfere with the other arms of government is a positive indicator.

INCREASE MOMENTUM

Untamed corruption has interfered with business where budgets are inflated, national examinations mean little, availability of medicines and delivery of healthcare is not guaranteed and there is a surge in radicalisation of the youth.

Kenyans must change their attitude and nurture a new way of life devoid of corruption.

President Kenyatta has made a rallying call for this noble cause and he must keep going forward.

Kenya is entering a critical stage in the fight against corruption and impunity and there should be no sacred cows.

Firms known to abet corruption must not be allowed to conduct business with the government.

There have been incidents where the President’s war on corruption has produced discouraging results.

Case in point being the billions of shillings lost in the Anglo Leasing scandal, including the payment of Sh1.4 billion to shadowy Anglo Leasing firms, and Kenya’s first sovereign bond.

These are expected hurdles and as President he should keep up the fight. He has, on previous occasions, slain the dragon of corruption that permeated some spheres of his government.

He should continue to cut any links with sacred cows left in the system, and especially tackle the Rio Olympic Games fiasco.

The buck must stop somewhere and in this case, Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario’s empire is built on quicksand and he will need a lot of goodwill to retain his post.

The President must let it be seen that fighting corruption and impunity in government is the right and moral thing to do.

The scandalising reports emerging from Rio have cast a dark shadow over the glamour of the medals the athletes hauled in.

STERN ACTION

Stories of disappearing kits, poor accommodation and lack of proper accreditation have dented the nation’s pride and somebody must take responsibility for the mess.

There can never be two centres of power and the buck must stop with someone. Mr Wario and National Olympic Committee of Kenya (Nock) officials have outlived their usefulness and should not wait for the President to shove them out. There should be no double standards.

The President showed the way when he let go Wario’s former colleagues who were linked to corruption including Felix Koskei (Agriculture), Charity Ngilu (Lands) Davis Chirchir (Energy), Michael Kamau (Infrastructure), Kazungu Kambi (Labour) and Anne Waiguru (Devolution and Planning).

He has also not spared any parastatal chief implicated in any corruption scam.

The President knows that the war on corruption will be “painful” for perpetrators and some of his confidants, like Mr Wario, when linked to mismanagement, must resign or be sacked.

In the war on corruption, you cannot allow a win to get to your head, or a loss to your heart. Mr President, let Mr Wario take the walk.

Mr Cherambos is a social commentator based in Nairobi. [email protected]