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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.
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