We should not be weighed down by graft after years of self-rule

The tough talk by President Uhuru Kenyatta on tackling evils stalking our nation starting with corruption yesterday is welcome. It is, however, worth noting that it is not the first time the President has talked about defeating corruption, fostering unity, expanding the economy and providing jobs for our youth. This sentiment has been present since Kenya’s early years.

And as the nation marked 55 years of self-rule yesterday, it appears that some strides have been made in certain areas. However, the country is still a long way to go in sorting the mess she is in today. Soon after nearly half of his first Cabinet was forced to step aside in 2015 on corruption charges, the President is on record saying nearly similar things.

Today, nearly everyone who was on the now infamous list of shame is walking free after their cases collapsed in court. This is the same situation Kenya is currently facing with the current National Youth Service (NYS) scandal.

There is fear that convicting the accused will be a hard nut to crack. It is commendable that the President has recruited fresh prosecutions and investigations team. The zeal of this team was witnessed when within two weeks of the breaking of the NYS scandal, police started pursuing and arrested most of the 64 suspects linked to the scam.

The list includes high profile individuals including the Youth Affairs Principal Secretary Lilian Omollo. We must however admit that fighting corruption will take more than tough talk but a serious war waged by the authorities.

The Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Hajj and the Director of Criminal Investigations George Kinoti have started on a good footing. They need the support of Government and all Kenyans. Otherwise the term corruption will continue being a song played at every public holiday.