Kenya’s political elite feel heat over corruption

NAIROBI – Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi on Sunday became the latest Kenyan official to defy calls to resign as corruption revelations kept the heat on the east African nation’s top politicians.

“I have not done anything wrong and I have no reason to resign,” the minister told the Sunday Nation newspaper. Murungi has been accused of involvement in a cover-up over the ‘Anglo Leasing’ scam, during which tens of millions of dollars of public funds disappeared to a fictitious firm.Cabinet colleague and Vice President Moody Awori, also accused of links to Anglo Leasing, has also said he will not resign.Finance Minister David Mwiraria stepped down this week, but all have declared their innocence.In what has been an extraordinary parade of appearances by Kenya’s top officials, Education Minister George Saitoti held a news conference on Saturday to make clear he was not stepping down over another scam, the so-called ‘Goldenberg’ affair.A day after an inquiry called for charges against him, he said he was innocent of any role in the billion dollar scandal centering on bogus gold and diamond exports in the 1990s.The Goldenberg scam dates back to former President Daniel arap Moi’s rule, while the Anglo Leasing payments went on under President Mwai Kibaki, in power since 2002.Explosive revelations in both sagas have put the spotlight on high-level corruption in east Africa’s biggest economy and cast doubt on Kibaki’s pledge to root out Moi-era graft.MOB JUSTICE? Murungi said he was the victim of “mob lynching” by local media and insisted he was on good terms with his main accuser – former anti-corruption boss John Githongo, who resigned last year and is now living in Britain.”Indeed, he sent me a Christmas greetings card.I have no problem with him as far as I know,” he told the Nation.Analysts say public outrage over corruption has reached an unprecedented level.”Kenyans are at a momentous crossroads in history,” the Nation said in an editorial.”The government holds in its hands reports of two of the biggest financial scandals ever to affect the country and how it proceeds on this dual front will set the tone for the rest of this administration’s term and its legacy to the country.”Kenya’s next elections are due in 2007.Githongo has said the Anglo Leasing scam, worth about US$200 million (about N$1 200 million) according to local media, was intended to build a “war chest” for the government before the 2007 campaign.The Anglo Leasing money, for non-existent tenders ranging from passports to naval ships and forensic labs, eventually came back into government coffers.The US$1 billion lost through Goldenberg remains untraced.”If you look at the amount that was lost through Goldenberg, that could have solved the water problems in the whole of the arid areas,” said Nairobi University political sciences lecturer Ludeki Chweya, referring to Kenya’s drought.”That is how serious corruption is.When you cite the case of famine, malaria and how easily they could have been solved, you can see that actually corruption leads to loss of life.”- Nampa-ReutersMurungi has been accused of involvement in a cover-up over the ‘Anglo Leasing’ scam, during which tens of millions of dollars of public funds disappeared to a fictitious firm.Cabinet colleague and Vice President Moody Awori, also accused of links to Anglo Leasing, has also said he will not resign.Finance Minister David Mwiraria stepped down this week, but all have declared their innocence.In what has been an extraordinary parade of appearances by Kenya’s top officials, Education Minister George Saitoti held a news conference on Saturday to make clear he was not stepping down over another scam, the so-called ‘Goldenberg’ affair.A day after an inquiry called for charges against him, he said he was innocent of any role in the billion dollar scandal centering on bogus gold and diamond exports in the 1990s.The Goldenberg scam dates back to former President Daniel arap Moi’s rule, while the Anglo Leasing payments went on under President Mwai Kibaki, in power since 2002.Explosive revelations in both sagas have put the spotlight on high-level corruption in east Africa’s biggest economy and cast doubt on Kibaki’s pledge to root out Moi-era graft.MOB JUSTICE? Murungi said he was the victim of “mob lynching” by local media and insisted he was on good terms with his main accuser – former anti-corruption boss John Githongo, who resigned last year and is now living in Britain.”Indeed, he sent me a Christmas greetings card.I have no problem with him as far as I know,” he told the Nation.Analysts say public outrage over corruption has reached an unprecedented level.”Kenyans are at a momentous crossroads in history,” the Nation said in an editorial.”The government holds in its hands reports of two of the biggest financial scandals ever to affect the country and how it proceeds on this dual front will set the tone for the rest of this administration’s term and its legacy to the country.”Kenya’s next elections are due in 2007.Githongo has said the Anglo Leasing scam, worth about US$200 million (about N$1 200 million) according to local media, was intended to build a “war chest” for the government before the 2007 campaign.The Anglo Leasing money, for non-existent tenders ranging from passports to naval ships and forensic labs, eventually came back into government coffers.The US$1 billion lost through Goldenberg remains untraced.”If you look at the amount that was lost through Goldenberg, that could have solved the water problems in the whole of the arid areas,” said Nairobi University political sciences lecturer Ludeki Chweya, referring to Kenya’s drought.”That is how serious corruption is.When you cite the case of famine, malaria and how easily they could have been solved, you can see that actually corruption leads to loss of life.”- Nampa-Reuters