Nairobi — Sentences meted out in court should be upheld to end impunity, the Speaker of the National Assembly Kenneth Marende has said.

Insisting that law enforcement agencies should accomplish what the courts have directed, the Speaker said that failure to do so is an act of impunity.

"Kenya must move swiftly to ensure that the law is enforced and strictly at that," said Mr Marende when he opened the 4th national integrity review conference at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre Tuesday.

The Speaker said the current law enforcement system is lax and does not deter law offenders.

Mr Marende expressed concern that many death row convicts are yet to be executed.

"So long as the offense of robbery with violence and murder, in our statute law, carry a death penalty, we have to implement the sentence. Otherwise we amend the law the change that provision," he said.

Mr Marende has, at the same time, instructed the police to summon the Member of Parliament who claimed that MPs are bribed in order to debate and pass certain bills to record a statement on the same.

This was in apparent reference to the former Justice minister Martha Karua, who last week alleged massive corruption in the House but did not give details.

Ms Karua is on record saying that money changes hands during voting on crucial bills arguing that the same fate had befallen debate on the Imanyara Bill that proposes the formation of a local tribunal to try post-election violence suspects.

"The police should galvanise their resources and have the MP to record a statement with them in order for the necessary investigations to be carried out. Then we can know who bribed who and how much and pursue prosecutions," he said.

Mr Marende was responding to a question by former Kenya National Union of Teachers Secretary Francis Ng'ang'a about what Kenyans would learn from their leaders (MPs) whom a colleague had gone on record alleging they are corrupt.

If the MP cannot record a statement, Mr Marende said, the police should prosecute the legislator for making false incriminating statements in public.

The Speaker noted that Kenya seem to have retrogressed in its fight against corruption over the last 30 years, Mr Marende quoted the World Bank report of 2008 indicating that an average Kenyan bribes 16 times a month to be served.

"According to the report, bribery coupled with tribalism and nepotism among other vices account for Sh1 billion annually," said Mr Marende.

The Speaker said corruption in Kenya is lucrative and can only be effectively tackled if it is made expensive and those involved are made to suffer.

Justice Assistant minister William Cheptumo said fighting corruption is a responsibility of every Kenyan.

"Kenya supports the participation of the civil society and private sector on implementation of the United Nations convention against corruption. We must free the fight against corruption from tribalism," said Mr Cheptumo.

Head of the civil service and secretary to the Cabinet Francis Muthaura expressed concern that although Kenya has elaborate legal framework and instruments to fight corruption, little was being achieved.

"We are still ranked low in as far as the fight against corruption is concerned," he said.

"We need to unite in this campaign so that the fight against corruption is not be about bashing the government every time."