E-Clips:- Business Pictorial - Githongo's Secret Tape On Kiraitu Aired By BBC

A copy of an audio tape which appears to show Cabinet minister Kiraitu Murungi trying to impede a corruption investigation was last night broadcast to the world by the BBC.It triggered an immediate demand by Britain's International Development secretary Hilary Benn for the Kenyan Government to act. The copy of the tape was given to the BBC by Mr John Githongo, the former Presidential adviser on corruption and permanent secretary for Governance and Ethics. In his first interview since going into exile in Britain, Mr Githongo also accuses President Mwai Kibaki of failing to protect him.

"All I can say is that I kept His Excellency, the President, who was my boss, informed of these issues. It was part of my job and I consistently kept him informed," he says. He is then asked by the interviewer: BBC: Why didn't the President protect you? Githongo: Your answer's as good as mine. BBC: He cut you loose effectively, is that true? Githongo: Well, I was dangling in the wind.

Mr Githongo said the tape was secretly recorded by him during a meeting with the then minister of Justice, now of Energy, Mr Kiraitu Murungi, on May 20, 2004. He said the minister wanted to pass on a message from the businessman whose payments Mr Githongo "was investigating" because he feared they were part of a corrupt deal. He says the businessman was a prominent backer of senior politicians "Call it blackmail or bribery. Call it what you want. But he was telling me that the message he had been sent from the community was that I should back off," Mr Githongo said.

He told the BBC that the minister had raised the question of a loan owed by his (Githongos) father. He says the minister linked the loan to the corruption investigations he was undertaking.He says the copy tape shows the minister conveying the message that the man he was investigating felt "like fighting back".On the copy of the tape, played by the BBC, Mr Murungi is heard saying:"I think the general message: Tell Githongo go a bit slow."

He is also heard to say: "... then even we can go slow on your matter."Mr Githongo told the BBC: "The Minister of Justice was telling me that if I eased off my inquiries then my fathers loan matter would be made to go away."The British minister, Mr Hilary Benn, then tells the BBC:"He is a very courageous person - He has now brought forward very, very serious allegations which have to be investigated - I think this is a moment of truth for Kenya."Mr Benn said everybody knew corruption had been a problem in Kenya for years but now was the moment to do something about it.

Mr Githongo had "brought matters to a head".Mr Murungi declined to be interviewed by the BBC. He has in the past denied all allegations of wrongdoing.State House also declined requests to interview the President.The copy tape played by the BBC mirrors exclusive reports published in the Nation during the past two weeks about both this incident, and another in which Mr Murungi appeared to push for part payment of the Sh4 billion Naval ship deal which had been suspended pending corruption investigations.

Mr Murungi then issued a statement denying any wrongdoing.The broadcasting of the copy tape will add a new twist to the Anglo Leasing saga in which huge payments were made by the Government to non-existent companies, for work that was either only part completed or not even started.When investigations began into these deals, some ministers intervened on behalf of the contractors in the hope of obtaining contributions to Narcs kitty for grassroots elections and the referendum on the Constitution.