President Kenyatta Frustrating War on Graft, Odinga

Mr. Odinga said that the President has consistently ignored procedures, including the law and institutional arrangements so as to cripple the war on corruption rather than support it.

Odinga says that the suspension of the Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC) chairman Mumo Matemu and his deputy Irene Keino are is a clear indication that the country is losing the war on corruption.

“We warned that by acting unprocedurally and outside the law, the President was creating an exit for the suspects instead of dealing with them,” said Mr. Odinga.

“We warned that the war on corruption would be lost because the President’s actions would undermine the stability and integrity of the sole body charged with investigating corruption.”

War on corruption virtually lost

The former Prime Minister said that it was clear that the “President had embarked on a familiar rhetorical warfare similar to that of the “war on magendo” of the 1980s that only left magendo thriving”.

“The president’s action was similar to Narc’s much hyped zero tolerance to corruption and “radical surgery of the judiciary” that ended up with the Anglo Leasing scandal right at the heart of the administration,” added Mr. Odinga.
He said that the war on corruption is virtually lost and the country is back to square one.

“There can be no EACC Secretariat without a Commission and there can be no Commission without the commissioners. No investigations can legally proceed under the current state of affairs at Integrity Centre.”

He called on Kenyans to take charge of their destiny and demand for action from the government.