Musalia Mudavadi challenges lawyers to take active role in war against corruption

Amani National Congress Party Leader Musalia Mudavadi with Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Isaac Okero during Rift Valley Law society of Kenya dinner held at Rift valley sports club Nakuru. PHOTO: KIPSANG JOSEPH

Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi has challenged professionals in Kenya to lead the country's reform agenda. Mr Mudavad said runaway corruption through blatant theft of public resources is intolerable and bad for development.

"If you live in Kenya, you cannot plead ignorance of what is the greatest ever rip-off of the people by a Kenyan government," Mr Mudavadi said during a dinner by the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) in Nakuru.

Mr Mudavadi said corruption in Kenya has hit crisis levels and challenged LSK not to sit on the fence.

access to justice

"The LSK Act bestows on lawyers an enormous task to facilitate access to justice while maintaining integrity. Legally, the fate of the country and all that could go wrong is placed on your laps as the legal profession. You are required to formulate policies that promote and enhance the spirit, principles, values and objects of the Constitution of Kenya," said Mr Mudavadi.

He added: "This is a unique responsibility encrypted in law. That law charges LSK with the fate of the Constitution. You are the sentinels, and it will be interesting to know how you fair on this national duty."

Mr Mudavadi hit at the Jubilee government accusing it of misplaced priorities. "At the national level, we are missing it when government embarks on a reckless borrowing spree for turnkey projects. We have the threat of a ballooning unemployed youth bulge of 60 per cent of a 44 million population. We each carry a debt of Sh79,000 courtesy of a government of rent seekers," he said.

He said devolution needs support of serious legal minds, especially in enacting laws and challenged the lawyers to consider running for seats in County Assemblies.