E-Clips:- Business Pictorial - Kibaki Advised To Rid Kanu Remnants To Win Graft War

MARAGUA member Of parliament Elias Mbau yesterday asked President Mwai Kibaki to stamp his authority and weed out remnants of the former government if he is to win the war against corruption.

Speaking in Maragua town at a function to raise awareness among his constituents on the inherent dangers posed by indulgence in careless sex, Mbau said time was ripe for the head of state to take ,charge of state affairs in line with the mandate given to him by Kenyans in the last general election.

"Kibaki has been unduly quiet and tolerant. This degree of tolerance has led his government to be undermined from within," charged the legislator.

He said the war against graft within the government would not be won if civil servants he inherited from the Kanu regime continued to occupy key positions in the civil service and parastatals.

"I am not advocating for mass sackings. There are loyal Kenyans in the goverment. But some of them had gotten used to corruption and they find it hard to stop engaging in it," said Mbau.

"Politicians in the present government including ministers are finding it irresistible to fight corruption after getting influenced by public servants in ministries in which they were in charge," he said alluding to the recent Sh 2.7 billion passport scandal.

Mbau, at the same time, challenged President Kibaki to decisively deal with government officials allied to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) wing the ruling coalition who out to wreck his government from within.

Charging that the nation was greater than any individual, Mbau asked the head of state, not to be "over-protective" ministers allied to the LDP. The legislator said both LDP and its partner in the ruling coalition, the NationaI Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK) needed to lead by example, by serving the people who elected them to deliver services and correct the mess caused by the previous Kanu government.

Mbau regret the failure by his constituents to fight the HIV/ Aids menace, saying it had resulted in over 3, 000 orphans across the constituency.

He said the orphans now require assistance from the community as they cannot be made to pay for the mistakes of their parents.

Mbau took a swipe at his Kandara counterpart Joshua Toro, accusing him of interfering in the impending Maendeleo Ya Wanawake elections.

The legislator said it was wrong for Toro to plan to lock out of the elections women allied to certain political parties, as it is the right of every Kenyan to participate in democratic elections.

“Maendeleo Ya Wanawake is for every eligible Kenyan woman. It is not an outfit for the favoured wives of politicians,” said Mbau.