NAIROBI, August 20 – Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday welcomed the return of former Ethics Permanent Secretary John Githongo, saying it would help the country to deal better with past cases of corruption and promote transparency in government.
However, Odinga who addressed a news conference after meeting Githongo at his Treasury House offices declined to commit on whether the government planned to give Githongo his job back.
“A month ago I did issue an open invitation to John to come back home. I’m happy he has accepted my invitation and I believe he we will be more useful here at home,” Odinga said.
In his remarks Githongo said the coalition government’s success would be pegged on how it tackled corruption.
He said: “The coalition government is very fragile and any corruption within it could lead to its collapse.”
Githongo jetted into the country from the United Kingdom Tuesday evening to an emotional welcome by his family.
He had spent three years in self exile after exposing the fraudulent Anglo-Leasing financial contracts which led to the resignation of then Cabinet minister David Mwiraria, and implicated Dr Chris Murungaru and Kiraitu Murungi.
The former Ethics Permanent Secretary said he would be in the country for two weeks at the invitation of the Prime Minister and Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka.
He however indicated that he would return to the country permanently in the coming months.
Since his departure, Githongo has been a Senior Associate Member of St Antony’s College, Oxford, and Vice-President, Policy and Advocacy, of the relief, development and advocacy agency of World Vision.
The governance reformist is scheduled to address a meeting organised by the Kenya Human Rights Commission in Nairobi on Wednesday afternoon.
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