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President Kenyatta lauded for bold step in graft war

UHURU-LAUGHSNAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 31 – The National Anti- Corruption Campaign Steering Committee (NACCSC) has lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta for the bold step he has taken in the fight against graft.

Speaking during a press conference on Tuesday morning, Chairman Arch Bishop Eliud Wabukala described the directive to all public and state officers implicated in the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission corruption list to step aside as an unprecedented move in Kenya’s history of the war against corruption.

He underscored the need for a change of attitude from all Kenyans for the war against corruption to be successful.

“Kenyans are dismayed by the high number of corruption cases that have revealed the misappropriation of public resources. Kenya’s growing economy cannot sustain such losses and time has come for decisive action to be taken to address this situation once and for all. We want to urge the public to rally behind the President and actively participate in the fight against corruption,” he said.

He further stated the need for the public to hold leaders accountable through public participation as provided in the constitution.

“As investigations are progressed on the mentioned cases, we commend those that have had the courage to step aside and are willing to allow due process of the law to take its course as they remain innocent until proven guilty by a court of law. Corruption is not a collective crime but it takes an individual to perpetuate it,” he pointed out.

Senators Tuesday morning differed over the admissibility of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission confidential report presented by President Uhuru Kenyatta to Parliament last week.

In the afternoon, the National Assembly began debate on the report in addition to the President’s speech.

Wabukala called on the institutions involved in the investigations to ensure that they do their work professionally and thoroughly so as to expedite the matter.

“We urged the relevant arms of government involved in the investigations to ensure they are thorough and timely. Kenyans do not want to wait long as their patience has already been stretched to the limit,” he stated.

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He pledged that the organisation will continue to undertake its mandate of creating awareness, educating and sensitizing Kenyans on corruption issues so that they can make informed decisions at the individual level at all times.

“The ultimate goal is to initiate change in the attitude, behavior, culture and practice of Kenyans towards corruption. This is not a one time event but a continuous process that must be sustained. We call upon all Kenyans to be objective and factual as we sustain the war against corruption,” he said.

Meanwhile suspended Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Felix Koskei has started his 60 days mission to clear his name by going to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption commission to inquire on the allegations facing him.

Koskei who was accompanied by a team of five lawyers met with the director of investigations at the Integrity Centre on Monday who asked him to report back on Thursday.

In a letter to the Chief Executive Officer of EACC, Koskei through his lawyers sought to get a written confirmation of the nature of allegations, the list of his accusers, any statement by the complainants if any and supporting documents on the same.

the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Issack Hassan also pointed out that he is ready to step aside should his name appear in the corruption list.

Hassan maintained that his conscience is clear, but that he will allow the legal process to take its course if implicated.

Already a multi-agency taskforce has been constituted to determine the way forward, on the corruption cases facing those whose names President Uhuru Kenyatta presented to parliament last week.

The taskforce comprises persons from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Criminal Investigations Department, as well as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission officials, who have been handling the investigations until now.

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