Kirinyaga Governor Anne Mumbi Waiguru has revealed how family members force politicians into looting public funds.
Addressing Chatham House in the United Kingdom (UK), Waiguru cited pressure from relatives as the reason driving politicians into the runaway corruption frenzy witnessed in the country.
According to the Kirinyaga County boss, "a huge problem in Kenyan politics is the pressure from families that want to benefit from their relative’s time in office," which drive the leaders into corruption to meet their relatives' expectations.
[caption caption="Governor Waiguru at Chatham House"]
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Waiguru further revealed that she fully supports the recent lifestyle audit directive by President Uhuru Kenyatta noting: "I welcome the president’s lifestyle audit - it’s a big step forward."
In her view, the family role in escalating the corruption incidences was the reason why "the president has rightly opted for the audit".
Waiguru further told Chatham House, a centre for policy research and debate on politics, that she is determined that after the 2022 election, Kenya will have at least 11 women governors in office.
Citing the opposition from male governors towards the move, Waiguru indicated that one strategy of securing the seats would be by targeting male governors who will have completed two terms and can’t run again.
The Kirinyaga county boss further shed light on the uphill task in securing that support noting that an early endorsement of women exposes them to a long and vicious time in the spotlight.
Revisiting her experience in the last election, Waiguru stated: "2017 was an extremely violent election for women running for office".
[caption caption="Kirinyaga Governor Anne Mumbi Waiguru"]
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"Numerous individuals I spoke to reported threats of rape and physical violence towards themselves and their children. This then puts off other women considering joining the electoral race," Waiguru concluded.
