President Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday joined hands to send a potent message to top civil servants over corruption: the buck stops with them.

The two coalition partners read the riot act to permanent secretaries, making it pretty clear that they would be held to account for graft in their ministries. Do not blame your subordinates. Do not blame the donors. Do not blame the Press. The buck stops with you -- that was the message from the coalition leaders to public servants.

Coming from the appointing authorities, particularly at a time when Cabinet ministers and bureaucrats have perfected the art of shifting blame over graft in institutions under their watch, we hope the warning will instil a sense of accountability, which is clearly lacking in the public service.

The circus in the Ministry of Education in which officials are said to have embezzled more than Sh100 million meant for free education, while Sh1.7 billion worth of textbooks were stolen from public schools, is a case in point. Apparently, there is something awful with a society that steals textbooks from its poor pupils.

Just this week, it was reported that a parent in Marakwet committed suicide because she could not bear the pain of failing to take her son to Form One after he passed the exam. The death highlighted how graft has blocked bursaries for deserving students. It is horrifying that nobody takes, or is compelled to take, responsibility.

Education minister Sam Ongeri and permanent secretary Karega Mutahi blame the embezzlement of funds on their juniors. But we hold the view that they take responsibility for the conduct of officers in their charge.

On Friday, Mr Odinga asked President Kibaki to direct that the two step aside as state agencies investigate the matter. That is the way go. We also welcome the President's statement that corrupt civil servants will not be transferred to stop their wayward ways. The transfer defeats logic; it amounts to spreading the cancer to the official's new destination.

Corrupt public servants should be investigated and arraigned in court to face justice. As a nation, we have nurtured a culture of impunity that rewards those with political and economic muscle at the expense of the poor, and a work ethic which proclaims that you cannot be forthright and succeed.

It is unsettling that bribery and forgery -- as demonstrated by Education ministry officials accused of cash fiddle -- has become a standard practice. The Education ministry scandal is the narrative in most sections of government service.

State departments are always ranked high among corrupt institutions. All doors have been locked to ethical practices, especially those touching on the management of public resources.

As the two principals noted, Kenyans are losing trust in their government and public institutions. Indeed, most Kenyans think that the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission is too emasculated to wage any meaningful war against the vice. Donors, too, have resorted to attaching conditions to their aid. This continues to taint Kenya's image internationally.

There is a strong feeling among dejected Kenyans that the fight against corruption is given lip-service. This is aggravated by the fact that powerful forces linked to mega-scandals such as Goldenberg and Anglo-Leasing have never been brought to account for their sins. Even as we expect the political elite to lead the war on graft, all of us should confront the cancer.