Governor Mutua: Most county millionaires earn peanuts

As reactions continue flowing on President Uhuru Kenyatta’s call for a lifestyle audit of government officials, Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua has tendered his support, saying the initiative will “rescue Kenya".

Dr Mutua says he was shocked by results of a lifestyle audit done last year on officials of his county government, when it was discovered that people earning fairly tiny salaries had huge investments but could not explain the source of their extra capital.

“You find that somebody earns a salary of Sh50,000 yet they have three matatus in town and an apartment block. Where are they getting the money from if it not from the county or bribes? They cannot show a loan or how they got the money,” said Dr Mutua in an interview with the Sunday Nation on Saturday.

Following the audit, the governor suspended 437 finance officers in Machakos in August 2017. He said they are still under investigation.

CORRUPTION SCANDAL

If such an initiative is done on a national level, the governor reasoned, it will restore confidence among Kenyans who have been disillusioned by the many corruption scandals.

“People have to bribe to even get service from the police; people have to bribe to get a tender. And that is passed on to wananchi. That is why we’ve got massive theft and massive poverty,” he said.

President Kenyatta said on Thursday that government officials will be vetted alongside their families, because some public servants have registered their property in the names of their kin.

The statement has drawn varied reactions, with some observers thinking it is a simplistic idea that may not bear fruit in the long run.

Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen joked on Twitter that the move would “expose” some of the politicians who put a façade of being rich people because voters hate poor leaders.
In Dr Mutua’s view, no one can wish away the fact that Kenya is very corrupt.

TOUGH CHOICES

“What we are seeing is that some habits of the 1980s and the 1990s are starting to creep back to this country. And these are things that made our economy get nearly ruined completely,” he said.

Dr Mutua, whose election as governor for the second term was nullified by the Court of Appeal two Fridays ago but has appealed the decision, said such audits are tough choices President Kenyatta should be ready to make.

“If we have to rescue Kenya, then we have to make hard decisions. Unless President Kenyatta makes very hard decisions, his legacy will be ruined,” he said.