President Uhuru Kenyatta has come out to seemingly reaffirm that his Government is committed in the fight against the widespread corruption in the Country.
Kenyatta issued strict orders to Attorney General Githu Muigai and Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua, directing them to put the Asset Recovery Department at the State Law Office into operation, so that it could fully execute its mandate.
In his statement on Friday, while receiving a report from an anti-corruption task force, Kenyatta firmly stated that assets acquired dubiously should not be used to protect corrupt individuals.
“Corruptly acquired assets should never be used to frustrate justice,” Kenyatta stated.
The President further put the Anti-corruption agencies on notice stating that their performance would be judged on the number of cases they won.
“The success of the fight against corruption will be measured by the number of corrupt individuals who are successfully prosecuted and sent to jail and the size of the property recovered.” President Kenyatta said.
He added that combined efforts from the agencies would have a meaningful impact in the efforts to control the misuse of public resources.
The report, which was handed over to the President by AG Mugai, recommended radical changes including reforms in the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) aimed at fighting graft.
The reports also proposes that corruption cases be handled at the High Court level rather than the Magistrate courts so as to improve efficiency.
“So much time is lost between the Magistrates courts handling corruption cases and the High Court because suspects will not miss issues to raise at the constitutional court,” the AG stated.
The Anti-corruption committee - Task Force of the Legal, Policy and Institutional Framework for Fighting Corruption in Kenya - was formed in March this year after Kenyatta's directive to explore what was hindering the Government's efforts in the war against graft.
The President's move comes amid strong criticism from the Opposition, which claims that the government is not committed to tame the runaway fraudulent dealings in the government.
CORD leader Raila Odinga has since accused Kenyatta of 'fooling Kenyans' in the prosecution of persons implicated in the loss of funds at the Devolution Ministry.
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