E-Clips:- Business Pictorial - Corruption Fights Back, And Wins As Sleaze Czar Quits

President Mwai Kibaki’s advisor on corruption, Mr John Githongo, resigned yesterday, dealing a devastating blow to the Government’s anti-corruption programme.

Githongo, the Permanent Secretary for Governance and Ethics, resigned while on official duty in the United Kingdom, where he is expected to stay for a while. His departure creates the worst political and confidence crisis for Kibaki since he came to power in 2002, coming as it does amidst public and donor pressure for the Government to demonstrate that it intends to tackle runaway corruption in high places.

In his statement on the resignation, Githongo did not say why he was quitting; merely stating that he was unable to continue.

The corruption czar’s decision is likely to be seen as having stripped Narc’s graft war of any semblance of credibility, especially in the light of piling corruption scandals and the apparent impunity of those suspected to be involved. Githongo jumped from the anti-graft bandwagon while on official duty abroad where among other matters he attended the World Economic Conference in Davos, Switzerland, and secured the support of the Norwegian government in the planned establishment of the office of an Ombudsman in Kenya.

He was in London with Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission director Aaron Ringera, where they are understood to have met representatives of Kroll and Associates, a firm retained by the Government to track down looted wealth in foreign banks. Because he worked for the President directly, Githongo’s resignation is certain to bring to question the President’s own commitment to the fight against corruption.

Some analysts are seeing his exit as evidence of wavering on the President’s determination to fight what is being referred to as "new" or "emerging" corruption within his own senior ranks. Githongo’s exit now turns the focus fully on the President and the myriad of unresolved mega-billion shilling scandals in his stable such as the Anglo Leasing passport and forensic kit schemes.

It is not known whether his resignation is related to the findings of Kroll, who are investigating wealth looted during the former Kanu administration.

It must have been frustrating for a man in his position to see the mounting allegations of corruption directed at the Office of the President, especially in the area of procurement, without the ability or means to take decisive action. Whatever he stumbled on in London and frustrated him in his two offices – Co-operative House and State House, Nairobi- holds the key to the dejected manner in which a man who exhibited the demeanour and confidence akin to the last bastion in the war against graft threw in the towel.

Githongo’s letter threw the President’s handlers into a spin, coming even before the dust raised by the British High Commissioner Sir Edward Clay’s fiery speech last Wednesday had settled. It also opened a floodgate of reactions with the Leader of the Official Opposition, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, saying he received the statement of reaction with "foreboding’’.

" I am also glad that there are more and more people in public service who are willing to stand on a point of principle. People who are committed to the cause of really serving the country and not just a clique of power-hungry, selfish and greedy individuals,’’ added Mr Uhuru. Githongo, who reported directly to the President on a day-to-day basis, becomes the first high-ranking member of the Kibaki Government to quit in the 26 months it has been in power.

He walks away with the credentials of a trusted anti-graft buster, attributes he brought to the office from years of combating the vice in the NGO world.

He was head-hunted from the local chapter of Transparency International – the organization, which for years researched and gave a ranking order of the world’s corrupt states. Shortly after he took over office, he was posing for a photograph at the steps of State House Nairobi with Kibaki and the President of Transparency International whom he managed to bring along for a visit.

For the two weeks of duty he was with Justice Ringera who landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, alone yesterday morning.

Hours later Githongo’s own office faxed a statement to newsrooms, saying the PS ‘currently on foreign travel today transmitted his resignation letter to the President’’. The letter stated "that he was no longer able to continue serving the Government of Kenya in the capacity of Permanent Secretary, Governance and Ethics’’.

He concluded with the traditional line of "thanking the President for the opportunity to serve the Government of the people of Kenya’’. The duty of breaking the news to the country as well as acknowledging the Government’s acceptance of the resignation fell on the shoulders of the Head of the Civil Service, Mr Francis Muthaura.

‘The Government has accepted the resignation of Mr John Githongo … in that regard the Government has thanked Mr Githongo for the contribution he has made in the ongoing fight against corruption by the Government and the people of Kenya, and wishes him well in his next engagement,’’ said Muthaura in his signed statement.

Githongo quit in a month preceded by a questionable tax waiver by the Finance Minister David Mwiraria to a company owned by his Co-operatives counterpart Njeru Ndwiga. Ndwiga, it turned out, owned shares in company that won a lucrative tender in the New Kenya Co-operative Creameries – which falls under his ministry.

The minister also borrowed Sh40 million from the Co-operative Bank, also in his docket.

Githongo will be remembered for his indefatigable fight against the Anglo Leasing stream of scandals.

He is said to have had strained relations with Muthaura after the latter issued a statement exonerating senior government officials from blame over Anglo Leasing, even before investigations were completed.

Because of his anti- corruption stance, many glasses will be toasted at the Office of the President and at State House to celebrate his departure