Yes, Mr President, there’s a lot more you can do to fight graft

President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses the nation during Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kenyatta Stadium, Machakos, on October 20, 2016. He must fight and win the graft war. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The principals of the Goldenberg, Anglo Leasing, NYS, and other instances of economic sabotage are well known.
  • Remember how State House orchestrated the purge of Mr Mumo Matemu and other commissioners who were sleeping on the job?

Prior commitments some way out of town last week prevented me from honouring an invitation to the State House Summit on Governance and Accountability.

I would have loved to be present when President Uhuru Kenyatta asked: “Do you expect me to go and set up a firing squad at Uhuru Park?”

A loud and unequivocal “Aye!” would have been my response to the President.

Now, the Head of State intimated that he could not do that just to please the baying mobs because Kenya is a country that respects the rule of law.

However, laws can be changed. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and it is time we took all the known kingpins of corruption and paraded them for public execution at Uhuru Park.

The principals of the Goldenberg, Anglo Leasing, NYS, and other instances of economic sabotage are well known.

So are the authors of the massive looting that has hit key public corporations such as the former Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, Kenya Power and other energy sector behemoths, Kenya Airports and Kenya Ports authorities, the Agricultural Finance and Agricultural Development corporations, Kenya Railways Corporation, National Bank of Kenya… the list is endless.

Those thieves in high places deserve nothing less than the death sentence for their crimes against the people of Kenya can only be viewed at par with treason.

It seems to me that Kenyans — frustrated by the slow pace, corruption, and inefficiencies of the criminal justice system — generally support extra-judicial execution for terrorists and other violent criminals.

They would not mind if the authors of economic treason and terrorism were also terminated with extreme prejudice.

I would have reminded the President that he recently despatched Attorney-General Githu Muigai on a junket to learn how China deals with corruption. It executes the buggers!

We can do the same by simply adding economic sabotage to the list of crimes that attract the mandatory death penalty.

And to make it even more of a deterrent, we can mandate that the penalty be carried out in public.

Now, China may not be the best example for rule of law.

Its application of anti-graft laws seems to be quite selective seeing as to how they wink at ivory and rhino horn smugglers and the manufacturers of counterfeit goods.

Chinese corporations doing business in Kenyan and elsewhere in Africa also seem to have carte blanche to exploit corruption in their host countries.

CRAZY TIMES

However, no one can deny the fact that when the Chinese decide to make a few examples of the corrupt, they do it with speed and clinical efficiency.

They are not slowed down by the wealth, family links, or political clout of the targeted villain.

We can do the same if we cease whining, passing the buck, and throwing up our hands in despair.

Yes, Mr President, do not give up, but lead from the front by first having your government sponsor the necessary legislation for public execution of economic criminals.

You seemed earnest last Tuesday when lauding your own efforts in the fight against corruption, but you get a big thumbs-down for deflecting blame downwards.

You would win public support by cracking the whip aggressively on the agencies that you say are failing you.

Your hands were not tied when you decided to move, but the problem there was that it seemed you were more intent on weakening rather than strengthening the hapless agency.

It is also apparent, Mr President, that even as you award yourself an “A” for kicking out Cabinet secretaries and other top officials implicated in corruption, you still surround yourself with untouchables who seem to have their dirty fingers in every corrupt deal.

You would do yourself good by getting rid of the powerful politicians, extended family members, and St Mary’s Mafia that presently seem to be exploiting proximity to power for personal benefit.

Remember, it is you who is up for re-election next year. Everybody else is secondary.

Meanwhile, is there any other country in the world where one can steal and then go to court and secure protection from investigation, arrest, and prosecution?

[email protected]. Twitter: @MachariaGaitho