|
LSK:
Kenyans must call for action against corrupt officials
East African
Standard
04 Feb 2005
The Law Society of
Kenya yesterday asked Kenyans to stand up and demand that the
Government takes action against corrupt ministers and public
servants.
The Law Society of
Kenya, while welcoming British High Commissioner Edward Clay’s
attack on Government’s inaction on graft, said its Kenyans who
must say that enough is enough.
"Clay is not
saying something that Kenyans do not know. It is an open secret
that corruption in high levels of Government is the order of the
day," LSK boss Ahmednassir Abdulahi said.
He said Kenyans had
become so passive and seemed to have accepted corruption as normal
despite its endemic levels in Government and its effects on the
economy.
And he commended
Clay for his consistency in raising issues concerning corruption
within the government.
Ahmednassir said it
is an open secret that despite its bad record, Anglo Leasing
Finance is currently undertaking five to six contracts with the
Government.
Kanu’s new
national treasurer, Mr Billow Kerrow, agreed with Clay that there
was "grand corruption" by the Office of the President,
particularly in the procurement of goods and services.
Kerrow said Finance
Minister David Mwiraria lacked the will to fight graft. He said
Mwiraria had frustrated attempts by Parliament to scrutinise two
major contracts allegedly awarded to two overseas firms for the
supply of security equipment for which the Government paid Sh10.4
billion.
He said the
government paid an overseas firm $90 million for supply of
security equipment, including vehicles while another firm was paid
$40 million.
"I raised this
matter sometime in September, 2004 and the Minister for Finance
said there was nothing wrong with the two contracts," Kerrow
told The Standard in an interview.
He said the
concerns of MPs were raised when they realised the payments were
contained in the printed estimates for 2004/2005 financial year
and they sought to have more details.
"The
procurement of security equipment is shrouded in mystery under the
guise of protecting state security and it is impossible to tell
how much the country loses each year," he said.
Kerrow said Kanu
MPs had also raised the issue of procurement of civilian ships
where $70 million (Sh5.6 billion) was to be spent, but the
legislators would not lay their hands on the documents.
And Anglican
Bishops Beneah Salalah of Mumias and Simon Okech of Maseno North
said Narc had let Kenyans down.
"Narc was
popularly elected but little did Kenyans know that they were
voting in a corrupt system.
Speaking in
Kakamega, the prelates hit out at President Kibaki "for
remaining asleep" while some of his officers looted public
resources.
Assistant Minister
Robinson Githae conceded that there is still corruption in the
country and said the Government needs time to stamp it out.
He said there are
plans to open up security tenders which have in the past been done
privately at the Office of the President. The tenders will be made
public and advertised in the media.
|
