Cabinet acts on border issue

By Luke Anami

The Cabinet has ordered the creation of a committee to decongest and resolve delays at the Busia and Malaba border points.

In a cabinet meeting held at State House Nairobi Thursday, President Kibaki ordered the establishment of a committee to recommend immediate action to decongest the border town.

"The committee that will bring together the Ministries of Transport, Finance, EAC and Roads will establish sustainable ways to resolve any delays at the border crossing," a statement from the Presidential Press Service (PPS) read in part.

The move to form a committee comes in the wake of an exposÈ published by The Standard on Tuesday — "To enter or leave Kenya’s border posts you must kiss the Lords of Graft", and "Congestion at Malaba border not about to end soon thanks to corruption."

The Standard’s Malaba based Correspondent Sammy Jakaa has received threats following the exposÈ.

Bribes

The story said truck owners ferrying goods to Uganda and beyond must part with bribes to police on the Kenyan side as an illegal "facilitation fee".

In total, the bribes average Sh5, 000 per truck per day and are paid to the police and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officials.

Following the expose, police on Tuesday and Wednesday arrested indiscriminately anyone crossing the border ostensibly to protest against the story.

The Cabinet meeting also resolved that the Government will be guided by the Court decision that ruled on the election date as Prime Minister Raila Odinga told Parliament that a Bill would be brought on the floor of the house.

"Cabinet noted that the issue of the election date must be guided by the country’s level of preparedness, for a date that will guarantee a free, fair and credible election that sets the country on a path of transformation," read the statement from the PPS.

The Cabinet also approved the ‘Public Financial Management Bill 2012’.

The Bill provides for the establishment of the National Treasury (Article 225), which establishes the National Treasury as an entity of the National Government.