Make theft of public money a capital offence, says Church

National Council of Churches of Kenya general secretary Peter Karanja. The Church wants anti-corruption laws reviewed to make plunder by public officers a treasonable offence. PHOTO | KANYIRI WAHITO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The Church leaders described corruption as the root cause of the problems facing the country.

  • They said theft of public money was robbing the country of Sh2 million daily, according to a statement by the government stating that a third of its budget is lost through corruption.

The Church wants anti-corruption laws reviewed to make plunder by public officers a treasonable offence. This, church leaders said, will help to effectively slay the corruption dragon that gobbles up to a third of the nation's budget.

AMNESTY

The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) said although it still maintains its calls for amnesty from prosecution for those who own up to corruption and pay back the stolen wealth, the vice should be categorised as a capital offence to deter offenders.

DECISIVE

In a statement read by Secretary-General Peter Karanja at Jumuia Conference Centre in Limuru Friday, the council said the punishment for treason should apply to corruption charges.

“The window dressing, theatrics and rhetoric against corruption must give way to a decisive, irreversible and final national resolve to put it behind our national life,” said Rev Karanja.

DISASTER

The council, which held a two-day meeting in Limuru “to transact statutory business and reflect on matters of national concern”, reiterated that corruption should be declared a national disaster. The Church leaders described corruption as the root cause of the problems facing the country.

SH2M DAILY

Rev Karanja said theft of public money was robbing the country of Sh2 million daily, according to a statement by the government stating that a third of its budget is lost through corruption. If the stolen public resources were used as intended this would improve the quality of lives of Kenyans, he said.

SH700 BILLION

“So pervasive is corruption in our nation that officials of the Treasury have in the past told us that a third of the national budget is lost through corruption, meaning that Kenyans are likely to lose up to Sh700 billion this year alone. This would mean that around Sh2 billion is stolen from Kenyans every day,” he said, warning that no nation can stand under the weight of such level of theft.

TRANSPARENCY

Further, the council criticised the government due to what it described as excessive and unexplained borrowing, and which has seen the debt rise from Sh1.8 trillion in 2013 to Sh5 trillion in 2018.

They challenged the government to make public the country’s debt register to show who is owed how much and what was done with the money, as well as the terms of those loans to ensure transparency and accountability.

BORROWING

President Uhuru Kenyatta has defended the heavy borrowing, arguing that the loans will help the country undertake development projects, which will grow the economy and create more opportunities, but the church wants him to “rethink the wisdom and sustainability of further borrowing”.

Recently, the government has devised ways to collect more revenue to meet its ambitious budget, but the church leaders have termed the moves as excessive and oppressive, saying it has “reduced Kenyans to serfdom”.

TAXATION

“Most of the income a Kenyan generates goes to the government in form of income tax, value added tax, fuel tax, road levies, housing tax and all the other levies that have made life for the people miserable. We urge the Finance ministry to appreciate that the Kenyan taxation regime is headed to the proverbial scenario of “killing the goose that lays the golden egg”, they said.