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Ask us how to deal with insecurity, Kimemia tells colleagues

We managed the transition together and it was a peaceful one. We did not lose any life in this country. I don't think we need to continue losing our young people - Kimemia.

We managed the transition together and it was a peaceful one. We did not lose any life in this country. I don’t think we need to continue losing our young people – Kimemia.

NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 9 – Francis Kimemia who was suspended from the Cabinet office has taken a swipe at the same government he serves, saying it has failed in managing the country’s security.

Kimemia, who is technically still a civil servant, on Thursday said he was ready to assist in managing the country’s security if called upon to avoid more bloodshed.

“Having been in charge of security in this country, I think we need to do something more than we are doing to secure this country,” he said while passing his condolence message to victims of the Garissa University College terror attack.

At least 147 people were left dead in the second worst terror attack in the country, majority being students of the university.

“I would like to later on talk to my brothers in the Interior Ministry and see how we can work together…we still have institutional memories of how the matter needs to be sorted out whether we are in or out,” the former administrator said.

“We have come from far…we managed the transition together and it was a peaceful one. We did not lose any life in this country. I don’t think we need to continue losing our young people.”

He however noted that security in the country can only be achieved if Kenyans are directly involved in plans being undertaken.

He was speaking at Integrity Centre after being questioned over allegations that he was involved in a Sh1.1 billion tender award at the Internal Security ministry when he served as Permanent Secretary.

“This thing (the tendering process) was done in 2014…I was not in the Ministry of Interior but in the Cabinet office,” he said. “I don’t know anything about it.”

He denied the allegations, also saying he does not own a house belonging to the Kenya Railways as accused.

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He is furious that unnamed individuals accusing him of corruption are simply malicious and jealous of his long service in government.

“Someone wrote to the EACC and said I was in the Interior Ministry but they even don’t remember the dates…it’s all falsehood, it’s all lies,” he said.

“This is a country where there is a lot of creative propaganda, creative rumours and pure jealousy….like why is this person in this government and another one also?”

“We should not worry about those things. We are looking for fairness and objectivity from EACC.”

He posed: “Is there problem even if you serve 10 governments and you are delivering well to Kenyans?”

Kimemia termed the allegations facing him as baseless while urging the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to expedite the investigations.

He however said he has forgiven those who have accused him of the corruption allegations while saying that, “we will still be in this country. You will continue seeing us in this country.”

Suspended Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Kamau and his Energy Ministry counterpart Davis Chirchir also appeared before the anti-graft body.

Among the accusations made against Chirchir include a plan to defraud the Kenyan taxpayer of Sh1.4 billion by attempting to influence the award of a Kenya Pipeline tender together with Nairobi Senator Mike Sonko.

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That is in addition to the ‘chickengate’ investigation by virtue of his being a member of the now defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission. IIEC officials are accused of having received bribes from UK printing firm Smith and Ouzman whose two top executives has since been convicted.

The Southwark Crown Court jailed two officials of S&O printing firm found guilty of bribing IIEC officials.

Nicholas Smith and his father Christopher will serve about three years in jail for their involvement in the corruption scandal involving top managers of the then IIEC.

Kamau is accused in the EACC report of illegally contracting a Chinese firm to undertake 80 percent of the clearing and forwarding of imported cargo at the Port of Mombasa for a period of 14 years.

Kenya Airports Authority Managing Director Lucy Mbugua was also at the Integrity Centre over corruption allegations.

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