Government's Credibility Eroded By Resignation The East African 14 February 2005 Page: 2
The Kenya government was caught in a time warp last week as it sought to regain credibility for its war on corruption following the resignation of President Mwai Kibaki's advisor on containing the vice, John Githongo, reportedly after falling foul of an anti-reform cabal within the political establishment.
In apparent attempts to dissuade lenders from withdrawing financial support and to contain rising domestic discontent over unfulfilled promises ahead of the 2007 general election, ministers called for their soiled counterparts to resign and six former senior civil servants were arraigned in court on abuse of office charges, the first of similar prosecutions promised by Attorney General Amos Wako.
"Kenyans should watch my moves in a few days and they will be happy," Mr. Wako was quoted as saying pledging to prosecute corrupt individuals irrespective of their standing in society "to the satisfaction of Kenyans and the world."
The governments top legal advisor spoke as the European Union warned that the future of bilateral programmes between Kenya and the EUs 18-member countries would hinge on how the government handled new revelations on corruption, believed to have cost the country Ksh50 billion ($625 million) in dubious security contracts alone over the past two years.
Japan asserted that continuity of its development support to Kenya would depend on how well disbursed funds were used. The United States suspended Ksh200 million ($2.5 million) meant for the governance and ethics secretariat that Mr. Githongo headed and the country might be excluded from funding for developing countries under President George W. Bushs Millennium Challenge account.
Key multilateral lenders, however, are taking a patient view in the hope that their programmes with Kenya will not be undermined by the inertia on the anti-corruption front. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is understood to be treating Mr. Githongos resignation as well as emerging corruption, brought vividly home by the British High Commissioner Sir Edward Clay, as political issues needing deeper analysis.
The official singled out "problems in military procurement," as a major weak link in Kenya and many other African countries whose practices needed to be strengthened significantly, an issue expected to feature during the IMF mission to Nairobi scheduled for next month.
On Thursday, President Mwai Kibaki ordered the director general of the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC), Aaron Ringera, to take action on five suspects of the defence contracts, saying new regulations for security projects, to be enforced by an inter-ministerial committee, would be gazetted.
The contracts – E-Cop ($75 million), police Land Rovers ($90 million), passports ($33.4 million), CID forensic laboratory ($50 million) and maintenance of police helicopters ($12.5 million) were awarded to companies associated with businessman Deepak Kamani.
The companies include Anglo Leasing and Finance, Infotalent Systems, Apex Finance Corporation and Rajath Leasing and Financing and appear to use Dr Merlyn Kettering, an American, as a consultant. A $175 million contract awarded to Team Simoco, formerly Philips Radio, for supply and upkeep of police communications (codename Globaltel) will also come under scrutiny.
The presidential directive obliges Mr Ringera to pore over an audit report compiled by the Controller and Auditor General Evans Mwai that was requested by the government last July in the wake of the Ksh7 billion ($87.5) Anglo Leasing scandal.
President Kibaki assured the nation that payments for security project contracts had been suspended and proposed projects stopped, but a crack in his Cabinet has widened with ministers calling for the removal of their colleagues implicated in graft to pave the way for KACC and other independent probes. Cabinet ministers Raila Odinga, Charity Ngilu, Musikari Kombo and Peter Anyang Nyongo are at the forefront in asking their colleagues implicated in various scams to resign their positions.
Although President Kibakis government has created institutional capacity to fight graft since then, those appear to be one too many institutions, with roles not clearly defined and, at times, in conflict with each other – notably Mr Wakos and Mr Ringeras offices.
While KACC does not have prosecutorial powers, Mr Wako said last week that it lacked adequate investigative capacity.