Debate on graft report begins today

Kenya: The battle over the list of shame now moves to the National Assembly, with all indications being that it could sharply divide the House.

Deputy Minority Leader Jakoyo Midiwo yesterday confirmed the report will come before the House for debate.

But even as Midiwo confirmed the report will be tabled, it is becoming increasingly clear the debate on the President’s list may have taken a political angle, a factor that is threatening to cloud sober debate.

Claims of political bias, questions over the 60-day period given by the President for investigations and resistance by members of House committees named in the report are some of the issues that will determine the direction of debate.

Already, members of the Agriculture Committee, which is named in the report, are up in arms over the fact that the report points fingers at the committee.

The Agriculture Committee, together with the Public Accounts Committee, have been embroiled in graft allegations and their inclusion in the report appears to have further compounded an already precarious situation for its members.

“We cannot be corrupt as a committee as there is nothing like corporate corruption. There must be clear allegations linking members to corruption. The allegations must be credible. When the President spoke, we gave him a standing ovation, but in my view, he is either careless with the fight against corruption, or he was playing politics,” said Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo, a member of the committee.

The chair of the committee, Adan Nooru (Mandera North) who was accused of receiving Sh4 million to influence the outcome of a report on Mumias sugar, turned the heat on members who made the allegations against him.

“Stepping aside of a member is not in law. It is on the conscience of every member who may be implicated to step aside. Let the law take its course. It is one committee member who is disoriented who wants to destroy the committee and he doesn’t want to substantiate,” he said.