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Kenya: Githongo Tells of Fights With Ministers
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The Nation (Nairobi)
23 February 2008
Posted to the web 25 February 2008
David Mugonyi
London
Former anti-corruption tsar John Githongo has talked of how he differed with Cabinet ministers appointed by President Kibaki on the best way to fight corruption when the Narc Government came to power.
Mr Githongo said some of the ministers proposed that since the Narc Government had come to power, it was time for them to "eat" as the Kanu administration had done.
The ministers whom he did not name, he added, wanted to amass wealth so that they could match some of their colleagues who were in the Moi administration cent for cent.
Mr Githongo told a gathering of Kenyans and foreigners at the Royal Commonwealth Society, London: "Some of them said, 'we are in Government and the opposition is very rich, we must also eat so that we can be able to match them."
He said the ministers mainly complained of lack of funds to bribe MPs in Parliament where they were losing some motions because their opponents had more money.
Others wanted the former Governance and Ethics PS to stop following certain leads in corruption cases, citing national security reasons.
Mr Githongo, who unearthed the Sh7 billion Anglo Leasing scandal, added: "I said if someone has stolen we must subject him to the law."
Non-prosecution
He said he persuaded the ministers to pursue the law with a restitution policy, where those who had corruptly acquired funds would return them in exchange for non-prosecution.
It was this silent policy, he added, that saw more than Sh1 billion being returned in 2004.
Kroll Associates, a firm which the Government had contracted during Mr Githongo's tenure as Governance and Ethics PS to trace funds and assets corruptly acquired overseas, unearthed Sh130 billion worth of property.
Mr Githongo had previously accused Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi and former Environment Minister David Mwiraria of interfering with his investigations.
He released tapes of the two, claiming they were trying to persuade him to stop investigations into some corruption cases.
However, the two were cleared of any wrongdoing by the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission.
Mr Githongo called for quick constitutional changes to allow the sharing of power between PNU and ODM, arguing that Parliament can pass the necessary changes immediately as the country embarks on comprehensive reforms and addresses the land problems.
Mr Githongo said although Kenyans trusted the Government when it came to power and volunteered a lot of information, that trust was abused.
The former PS said although it was the dispute in the presidential elections that triggered the violence that has so far claimed 1,000 lives and displaced more than 300,000, the country must address underlying issue such constitutional review, land problems and corruption.
Mr Githongo blamed the current Constitution for allowing a few individuals to benefit from corruption.
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"The kind of Constitution we have has allowed a small minority to benefit ... we see them buy cars, houses ... that is why there is a lot resentment from the people," he added.
He said the crisis in Kenya had rendered the presidency one of the most difficult jobs in the country and on the African continent.
"It is good so that we get a few serious contenders in future because the idea that you go to State House just to enjoy and travel all over the world is over," he joked.
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