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{
    "id": 532719,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/532719/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 187,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Due to time limitations, let me go straight to the matter that has caught the attention of this nation for the past few days. The President made a bold move by declaring war on corruption. We, in the opposition, and, indeed, everyone, including those in Government, have expressed concern at the high levels of corruption. This Government is, probably, much more corrupt than the previous administrations. When the Head of State is forced to suspend or to request five of his Cabinet Secretaries and five Principal Secretaries, which translates to a third of his entire Cabinet, to step aside due to corruption allegations, in a more civilized and organised societies, this would have been enough grounds for the Government to be dissolved and to seek fresh mandate. Unfortunately, in Kenya, we have set the bar fairly low. We are content to ask five Ministers and five Principal Secretaries to step aside without asking ourselves where the buck stops. All the same, the President made a very good diagnosis of the problems we are having, but, probably, applied the wrong prescription. Senators who have spoken before me have already noted the inconsistencies, trivialities and various issues that the EACC Report has. It is unfortunate that this is what we are basing our argument on so as to take action against corruption. Governors should be guided by their conscience when it comes to the debate on stepping aside. I do not think we can force or bully them to step aside. If you have someone who is accused of embezzling Kshs600 million and you find yourself appealing to his morality to step aside; that brings out a contradiction. Let us not expect people to step aside out of their own volition. We should commence investigations and charge these people in court. One of the things that the Truth Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) recommended as far as corruption was concerned was that EACC was supposed to define what should happen where corruption cases are at allegation stage, investigation stage, prosecution stage or any other stage within a period of six months. I do not think that happens. We have a catalogue of allegations, as the President said. We are expecting anyone who is touched by the catalogue of allegations to step aside. There should be definition of “threshold”; at what point someone steps aside. If we still have to rely on the EACC to carry out the final mile on the fight on corruption, one area which should be focused on is part II of the EACC Report. The EACC requires 2,246 staff members and yet they have only 385 and 20 of them resigned in the course of the year. These people say they are poorly remunerated and taken care of."
}