Githongo Tells Of His Agony At Recording Conversations Daily Nation 31 March 2006 Page: 5
Former Ethics and Governance permanent secretary John Githongo has told of his agony at having to record his conversations with senior government officials while serving as President Kibakis adviser.
The PAC report quotes Mr Githongo saying that President Kibaki appeared to have doubts about the depth of corruption in his administration when informed about it for the first time. Mr Githongo said he realised he needed the recordings if he was to be believed about the evidence he had gathered against ministers and senior government officials.
The former PS has been living in self exile in London since resigning a year ago. Mr Githongo spoke for the first time about how he agonised before reaching the decision when he testified before the Public Accounts Committee during its visit to London last month.
Some of the tapes which were aired on the BBC Hardtalk appear to show former Finance minister David Mwiraria and former Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Kiraitu Murungi attempting to impede Mr Githongos investigations. However, Mr Murungi dismissed Mr Githongos tape, broadcast worldwide, saying it could not be proof that he had tried to cover up the scandal.
He said in a statement released to the Press: "I have listened to the alleged tape recorded evidence. It is truncated, inaudible, insufficient and inadmissible to form any credible proof of the allegations being orchestrated by Githongo." But Mr Murungi did not deny that the voice on the tape, which included laughter, was his.
The PAC report says members were able to identify Mr Murungis voice in a tape where a loan given to Mr Githongos father was discussed. "Mr Githongo realised that he would not be believed unless there was some way of corroborating the serious claims he had against senior members of the administration," the committee reports.
It adds: "There being no paper trail, he realised that it would ultimately come to his word against theirs." Senior civil servants take an oath to keep official secrets and the taping of conversations is unheard of in a service rigid in structures and authority. The exception is where recordings are made by intelligence officers on undercover operations.
The report says: "Mr Githongo realised that much as the administration was chasing old corruption, some members were at the same time committing acts of corruption on their own and that the public would find it difficult to believe this." The committee reports Mr Githongo as having felt that President Kibaki did not believe him when he briefed the Head of State about new corruption.
Mr Githongo informed the committee that he sometimes carried dictaphones to meetings, especially if he thought that important matters would be discussed, and that the President was aware of the practice. When he realised that he would have to leave government, given the way things were going, he took the recordings, the committee says.