Aden Duale: Punish PS Peter Mangiti for exposing rot in Waiguru's ministry

Majority Leader Aden Duale

NAIROBI: As the allegations of corruption continue to blow up in President Uhuru Kenyatta's administration, the Jubilee lawmakers Thursday asked the Head of State to ignore the public pressure to sack Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru over the revelations of massive misappropriation in that crucial docket.

They blamed the increased cases of corruption in government on the opposition and unnamed powerful brokers who have been harassing government officials.

Majority Leader Aden Duale (Garissa Township) led ten MPs, five of them senators, to a news conference at the Main Parliament buildings at which they turned the heat on Planning Principal Secretary Peter Mangiti for releasing the dossier showing how the ministry spent billions in exaggerated pricing. They also blamed the Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo for revealing the Eurobond scandal where money was withdrawn from the Consolidated Fund without her approval.

"We have noticed a trend of powerful brokers/vendors trying to use public officials to drive a corruption narrative against government," said Duale, adding that the brokers have survived in all previous governments looting public coffers.

Duale did not name these "powerful brokers" who have held a whole government that has the constitutional monopoly of violence and collects all the country's revenue, hostage. He also did not name their "collaborators" within the civil service who were driving the "corruption narrative".

"We ask the President and the Deputy President to keep their focus on delivering the promise they made to the Kenyan people and forget all these political shenanigans going around," said Duale.

With the deputy Majority Leader Naomi Shabaan (Taveta) and MPs Ndung'u Gethenji (Tetu), Ferdinand Waititu (Kabete), Bare Shill (Fafi), Maison Leshoomo (Samburu), and nominated senators Naisula Lesuuda, Beth Mugo, Zipporah Kittony, Paul Njoroge egging him on, Duale said Waiguru will be "subjected to due process and not mob lynching".

The irony of a Majority Leader of an oversight institution trashing an on-going parliamentary investigation of the Public Accounts Committee was lost on these Jubilee lawmakers who are elected to the Legislature with a primary mandate of checking the excesses of the Executive.

Asked about it, he said Mangiti and Odhiambo will have to be censured by the Opposition-led PAC when it finally compiles its report on government spending in the financial year 2013-14.

Duale also brushed off the new found impetus from the Jubilee administration where 28 MPs now say they had given the President an ultimatum to either sack Waiguru or else they will join the group of MPs that seek to remove her from office.

"Uhuru Kenyatta is the President of Kenya. No individual or entity can coerce or intimidate the President in the discharge of his duties," said Duale.

The motion for her impeachment is sponsored by Nandi Hills MP Alfred Keter.
He spoke as Jubilee MPs circulated a statement saying that 28 of them wanted President Kenyatta to fire the Devolution Cabinet Secretary.

Kabando wa Kabando (Mukurweini), Mithika Linturi (Igembe South), Humphrey Njuguna (Gatanga) are some of the MPs who confirmed to The Standard that they were part of the move to kick Waiguru out.

In a joint statement, they said: "Fact is: the Cabinet Secretary in charge of devolution cannot stay in office amidst ongoing shocking revelations of graft under her watch. She owes it to Kenyans to step aside. Failure to which the President should sack her!"

In an interview with The Standard, Linturi who tried and failed to have Waiguru impeached, due to what he said was pressure from State House, said Waiguru's continued stay in government was brewing despondency.

"I have always questioned the President on why he keeps protecting this particular CS, yet she keeps giving the Jubilee government a bad name. Anything calling for her resignation I am in support," said Linturi. "This is a statement of impunity. If the President vowed to fight corruption, then this lady should not be a sacred cow. We are all equal according to the law ... we must tell the king that you are naked. Time has come when you must zip up your trousers."

Kigo Njenga (Gatundu North) who had been listed as one of those supporting the ultimatum said he won't give ultimatums, but he will back Waiguru's exit from government due to the allegations of massive graft in her docket.

"I am not giving the president an ultimatum, but I am appealing to the morality of Waiguru to step aside like (former minister Amos) Kimunya did (in the last government). If she is innocent, she can come back," said Njenga.