President William Ruto identified Parliament and the Judiciary as the weakest links in Kenya’s war against corruption, accusing lawmakers of soliciting bribes instead of exercising proper oversight.
The President claimed that some parliamentary committees have morphed into “extortion rings,” allegedly demanding money from witnesses in exchange for favorable reports.
Speaking in Homa Bay, he also accused the Judiciary of enabling corruption by granting anticipatory bail to suspects. Ruto said state officers have fallen prey to parliamentary committee extortion and urged the Speakers of both the Senate and the National Assembly to take action. He stressed that Parliament, like any other institution, must be held accountable.
“Our Legislature must be called out. Something is going on in our Legislature that we must call out. There is money being demanded from the Executive, governors and ministers, especially those who go for accountability before our Houses of Parliament,” he said.
“Mr Speaker, it cannot continue to be business as usual. It is not possible that Parliament committees continue to demand to be bribed or be paid for them to write reports or to look the other way on what is happening in either the national government or the counties,” the President added.
The President warned that corruption is undermining the country’s process of transformation, lamenting that public funds meant to be applied in service delivery are channeled away from their intended use.
He accused the Judiciary of granting anticipatory bail to suspects, which they allegedly do to evade arrest and prosecution.. Ruto urged the courts to stop serving as a refuge for corrupt individuals who hide behind legal protections.
“We have an innovation only in Kenya that allows someone who has stolen public resources or has breached the law not to be prosecuted. This is the anticipatory bail. This is an innovation that is taking us backwards,” said the President.
“Ask yourself, someone who has stolen public money and gets this bail, making it difficult for him to be arrested and prosecuted endlessly… how that supports the fight against graft baffles me,” he added.
Ruto Demands Parliament and Judiciary Join Executive in War on Graft
Ruto called upon Parliament and the Judiciary to join hands with the Executive in the war on corruption.
He explained that he had recently signed The Conflict of Interest Bill into law and underscored the fact that agencies with a mandate to ensure accountability at all levels of government are now solely required to fulfill their constitutional and legal mandate.
“I have made it clear to the chairperson and the chief executive officer of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission [EACC) that there will be no sacred cows or telephone calls from below or above to stop anyone from being prosecuted for corruption,” said the President.
Highlighting his administration’s efforts in the war against corruption, Ruto pointed out the e-Citizen system as an example of how waste was being eliminated and efficiency boosted after its introduction in 2013. He referred to it as a useful tool in the battle against corruption.
“By eliminating cash handling and embedding full digital audit trails, we have reduced opportunities for bribery and made transactions traceable, fair and secure. Citizens can now follow the progress of their applications and payments online, confident that the process is impartial and transparent,” he said.
He noted that the platform, which started with only a few services, has grown into a round-the-clock one-stop shop offering more than 22,000 government services accessible from anywhere in the world.
“Today, more than 14 million Kenyans are registered, with half a million logging in daily to access passports, driving licences, business registrations, land transactions, marriage certificates, police clearances and much more; all without queues, intermediaries, or unnecessary bureaucracy,” said President Ruto.
The post Ruto Accuses MPs of Running “Extortion Rings” and Judges of Shielding Graft Suspects appeared first on Bossnana.
