Nasa pledges to grill Uhuru team over graft

National Super Alliance co-principal Musalia Mudavadi on Saturday said President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto would be put to task over corruption if the Opposition takes power at the August polls.

Mr Mudavadi told crowds in Mombasa that National Assembly Leader Aden Duale and former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru would also be roped in.

“They will have to explain to Kenyans what happened in National Youth Service (NYS) and Eurobond syndicates,” Mr Mudavadi said.

The Amani National Congress (ANC) leader, who is seeking to be the Nasa presidential flagbearer, said Jubilee leaders would also account for billions of shillings used in mega projects like the standard gauge railway. “They want to retain power so that they go scot free,” he said.

Mr Duale has denied any role in the NYS scandal, as has Ms Waiguru. President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto have similarly stated their commitment to fight graft and denied claims of corruption in the railway construction.

Mr Mudavadi said the electoral body should come clean on claims of early rigging by Jubilee through penetration of its systems. He said NYS officials had been given BVR kits to register voters, adding that some Kenyans had been wrongly listed as Jubilee Party members to influence the August 8 polls.

Mr Mudavadi also promised to quickly form a government with a national outlook should Nasa win. Speaking on Saturday during his first day to market Nasa at the coastal town, the ANC leader said these steps would ensure regional integration and national cohesion.

'NATIONAL COHESION'

“We must implement the spirit of national cohesion,” Mr Mudavadi said at Serena Beach Resort and Spa before starting a tour of the county.

Mr Mudavadi is to square it out with ODM leader Raila Odinga, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Ford Kenya’s Moses Wetangula for the Nasa presidential ticket. The leaders have signed a pact to share power if Nasa wins.

The ANC leader, whose presidential bid has gained momentum due to opposition unity, said the process of naming Nasa’s torchbearer was on course.

Without stating when and how the nominee would be arrived at, Mr Mudavadi said: “I assure you that we will meet the required deadline.” He added that this would be done in an inclusive way.

Mr Mudavadi said Nasa would agree on how to hold nominations for affiliate parties, noting that individual parties could compete in some areas and hold joint nominations in others. The mini-polls could also be through concensus.

Mr Mudavadi was flanked by Senators Hassan Omar, George Khaniri and MP Paul Otuoma.

In a press statement later during the tour, the former Finance minister defended his tenure between 1993 and 1997.

“I found Kenya’s Treasury in the red. The taxation system had been infected with corrupt gatekeepers. Collection of taxes was minimal because people paid to evade taxes,” he said.

Tax accountability, he added, was zero. “Other cartels had set up toll stations, stealing the little tax collected. The people of Kenya were not getting value for the taxes they paid,” he said.

'TO STREAMLINE'

“As Finance minister I established Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) to streamline the tax system and rid the tax system of toll station cartels. This has worked with increased collection of revenue since then,” he said.

Unfortunately, Mr Mudavadi added, “Unless we protect KRA from the desperate greed of any government, the tax collector will be turned into a tormentor of innocent Kenyans.”

He said impoverishment of Kenyans by the Jubilee administration had reached “shocking levels.” 

“Done with making life unbearable for ordinary Kenyans through unnecessary high taxes, Jubilee is busy killing the hen that lays the golden egg by raiding employers,” the former Sabatia MP said.

He went on: “Desperate to raise money to fund its great appetite for grandiose projects, corruption and elections, the Jubilee regime is resorting to uncouth blackmail and extortion of business people... It, therefore, has set unattainable tax targets for KRA.”

The ANC leader said the Jubilee government was using KRA to arm-twist businesses to support its political campaigns.

“Uncooperative businesses are slapped with impossible fake tax bills and arrears. In yet other cases, VAT refunds are withheld,” he said.

Mr Mudavadi said the country could not create “a predictable investment and business environment to create jobs for our youth while wielding a tax dagger against investors.”