Fresh purge on corruption as new wave of raids, arrests looms

NYS Director General Richard Ndubai (left) and Youth and Gender PS Lilian Mbogo Omollo at Mililani Law Court where they were accused of abuse of office on 29/5/2018. [Beverlyne Musili,Standard]

More heads are expected to roll in a new wave of anti-corruption purge after President Uhuru Kenyatta received a damning dossier on the rotten elements in his administration shortly before he flew to the US.

A report by the Multi-Agency Task Team (MATT) has profiled hitherto untouchable personalities in the Jubilee administration.

Already, and arising from the dossier, a wave of secret raids are being conducted on the suspects. A Wednesday night raid on an aide of a top government official is said to have been part of the new wave of the purge informed by the dossier.

All government authorities privy to the Wednesday raid have remained tight-lipped on the matter which is said to have triggered shock-waves in top echelons of Jubilee administration.

“President Kenyatta is disappointed and feels betrayed by his close lieutenants, senior people are implicated in the dossier,” a source privy to the dossier’s details told the Sunday Standard.

On Friday, two separate meetings were held between the President and top security bosses at State House and Harambee House where issues relating to the anti-graft purge were thrashed.

Later that night, the President left the country for US.

Ripple effects

“The president is determined to exterminate the monster of corruption and the ripple effects of the purge targeting the big fish and whales will likely determine or scuttle the 2022 succession politics,” another source said.

Through his pronouncements and those of his allies, the President appears keen to brand the war on corruption one of his defining legacies alongside Building Bridges Initiative and the Big 4 Agenda of Manufacturing, Food Security, Universal Health Care and Affordable Housing.

A number of Cabinet Secretaries have been implicated in corruption cases or have failed to tame graft under their dockets.

It is understood that the president was astounded by the intelligence on the veracity of the graft cases touching on those close to him. A fortnight ago, President Kenyatta set the tone for a ruthless purge when he retreated to the Coast, shook off friends and allowed the wheel of justice grind victims. When he came back, buildings which had stood on riparian lands for ages tumbled down.

In the same week, top National Lands Commission officials were arrested and hauled before courts on graft charges. Others charged were the Kenya Bureau of Standard officials including the MD Charles Ongwae, Kenya Power top managers, Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong and the former Nairobi County boss Evans Kidero.