In a packed hall at Suntec in Singapore, Mr Amos Kimunya wagged a disapproving finger during a press conference.
"They make noise over minor scandals and yet no country is immune to corruption," Mr Kimunya, Kenya's then Finance minister, said in reference to 'outsiders' unhappy with graft levels in Africa.
Listening to his speech during the 2006 meeting of the World Bank and IMF board of directors, I was taken aback by how defensive African leaders could be - often turning into frowns whenever the graft subject is broached.
The tantrums were a testimony to the blatant denial of abuse of entrusted power and the fact that African governments, save for a few like Botswana and Rwanda, lack the basic social, political and financial accountability.
Kimunya's tenure at the Treasury would later be jolted by the sale of Grand Regency Hotel (now Laico) under a cloud of doubt as the fight on graft, whose gravity he downplayed, gathered pace in the Mwai Kibaki administration.
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Universally, corruption does not affect people equally. Those straddled in the lower socio-economic cadres feel the tangible pinch. However, the high and mighty who often benefit from it keep on making the loudest cries as if they care.
There's not a shadow of doubt that graft is at the core of our problems. It is denying us livelihoods and blurring our vision. It has a festering aftermath and fights back. Mostly, the architects and their lethal networks are known but no one dares to point a finger. They wield massive power.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta estimates that we lose Sh2 billion a day to graft. And former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga coined the term 'bandit economy' to describe our unequal society characterised by unbridled greed. Knowing how political and bureaucratic graft works, we are all caught up.
It is no accident that EACC and other agencies with powers to contain the malady have all bitten the dust. But now, the Kenya Kwanza bigwigs have an opportunity to make a mark. They should prove themselves up to our mark of satisfaction. President William Ruto must succeed where those before him failed. Let our new leaders prove they abhor the malady by stopping it in its tracks.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua this week told Kenyans that graft cartels comprised "people who stole billions of shillings from our economy in underhand deals". He calls them allies of Uhuru who executed state capture. People who wanted to grab Galana Kulalu and Kibiku land.
Gachagua insists that the State is aware of shadowy characters who own banks and control interest rates, with public policy allegedly angled to benefit a few. Can't they be prosecuted if they are well-known? Why buy time with enemies of the republic if there's evidence?
In my honest view, the DP's position that "if we pursue the masterminds we will lose track of our agenda for Kenyans" is tragically escapist. It could only fuel the fear that priests of graft are feared or favoured.
Last year, Ruto and his allies bitterly fought off claims that they lacked the will to fight graft. Some say graft war hardly featured in the Kenya Kwanza campaigns. Now, the president and his able team have the chance to shine. Ability is nothing without opportunity. They should take it as a challenge and smash the record by defeating the vice by hook or crook.
Greed can't be a feel-good affair. Beyond inferences made with no meaningful impact, we need a shift to lasting solutions. Let the culprits feel the heat.
Kenyans and the world are keenly watching. Ruto and his team must engage high gear in ensuring anti-graft rules and norms are espoused at all levels of the public sector.
-The writer is an editor at The Standard.