Mr President, fighting corruption is your responsibility do not pass the buck

President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks during Governance Summit at State House. (Photo: Berverlyne Musili/Standard)

President Uhuru Kenyatta asked us what we thought he should do on the war on corruption. This is a change of tune because since he took power, he has been warning the corrupt that their time was over.

One day he announced that he had drawn the red line on corruption, meaning you cross the line and you tip over into the abyss. Now he has rubbed off this line because it was apparently written by a faint heart.

By saying he had done all he could but to no avail, and blaming everyone else, the President was tactfully kicking the ball of such scandals as the National Youth Service and the Eurobond, which remains unresolved, to the Judiciary, the EACC, the police and the Auditor General.

It is a Public Relations stunt propped by ‘blame-sharing’. But then how does the country’s biggest office share blame with minions?

Let us remind the President that over a year ago he told us that at his Harambee House office, there was a den of corruption.

He took us further by saying procurement officers here were the most corrupt. To date he has done nothing apart from removing Francis Kimemia who the Rift Valley brigade wanted out because they claim he ‘fixed’ Deputy President William Ruto at the ICC.

He was also associated with the ‘Mademoni’ team, which had in 2013 persuaded Mr Kenyatta to step down for Musalia Mudavadi.

Now picture this. Surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses and other technicians are at work. The patient is on the theatre table. The torso has been opened up. The cancerous tissue that was to be removed comes into full picture.

The lead oncologist, fearing that the disease has spread too deep and wide, raises the question whether there is need to go on with the operation. He suggests they just sew up the sick man, help him recover from the surgeon’s knife, then leave him at the mercy of his God or gods.

When the others try to persuade him, he loses his cool and throws up his hands in air.

Then in resignation, he angrily stomps away. In the corridors, he meets the man’s family, explains his situation, then asks them: “Sasa mnataka nifanye nini?” (What do you want me to do?)

As the family listens in consternation, he then asks: “Mnafikiri mimi ni Mungu?” (Do you think I am God?). He then quips that they let the other docs do their part!

Ladies and gentlemen, let us tell Mr Kenyatta that the first step to fighting corruption is not to set up investigation agencies or hire more police, or expand cells, and cajole judges to get more appetite for long sentences in shorter period. No, the first step is to ensure those you give office are not thieves-in-waiting!

Mr President, even out here, companies employ chaps after due doing diligence. They must produce certificates of good record.

This is done for Government by National Intelligence Service which, by the way, knows that an office not far below yours today, is the new headquarters of corruption. But the reason you can’t act is because you have put more premium on the political and “sweat equity” it brings to Jubilee!

Out here, there are stories of more and more corruption, kickbacks and sheer theft by those in Government. The majority vote you got was to deal with them.

You swore you will work without fear or favour. We gave you the right to hire and fire in regard to offices that do not have to be subjected to tribunals. So?

All you needed to do is set an example, which you did when you acted on the list of 175 EACC gave you albeit with regret, as you said later.

They do not have to be jailed for you to believe they are not trustworthy. No, you acted on the basis of investigations that were carried out.

This is because integrity is not measured by kilos. Just a whiff of foul smell around one is enough to raise integrity issues and that is when you kick them out!

Also, Kenyans are not convinced the corrupt cartels are not the ones interfering with the work of the officers you berated in public.

You just needed a quiet session with each and you would have come up with a different conclusion.

By the way, if they know you will stand with them to the end, they will exceed our expectation. What you did was to intimidate and deflate them much as the powerful cartels do.

Also, do what President John Magufuli has done across the border. Need we elaborate this, sir? He just proved that the first role of a leader is to influence and the second is to remove barriers and solve problems for those he leads.

This is important because corruption is a killer in Kenya. It is the reason people die in road accidents after police are bribed, because of hospitals which have no drugs, buildings that collapse and starvation in rural areas.

No, Mr President, to turn back and ask us what you should do is to laugh at the dying and those vanquished by poverty and bad politics.