Kenya minister resigns after corruption allegations

Transparency worldwide ranked Kenya 145 out of 174 countries in its 2014 corruption perception index. “It can let a criminal off the hook for them to return to crime and harm Kenyans”, Kenyatta said. About 70 percent of corruption takes place during procurement, according to Kenyatta.

“10 gun attack on corruption”, reported the Standard newspaper with the daily pointing out that President Uhuru Kenyatta on Monday unveiled a new coalition against merchants of corruption alongside strident measures. The country’s spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, has also been ordered to help track down the corrupt, Kenyatta said. “We will look to sign more such agreements”, he said. “We will win this fight”.

“I will be the first to admit mistakes were made, some officers…”

The country’s chief justice said a special court would be set up to try cases of corruption, as the senate speaker termed the report’s recommendations “a turning point for our republic”.

The taskforce also wants the President, in liaison with Parliament, to address public concerns about parliamentary immunity and impunity from corruption charges.

Public frustration in the nation of 44 million people has mounted in recent months over the failure to prosecute top officials accused of graft, raising pressure on Kenyatta, who says it is a top priority for his government.

The government will also reduce wastage of taxpayer funds he pledged, highlighting allowances.

“I’m of the mind, fellow Kenyans, that we in government should take better care of your money before we ask for your taxes and we are therefore going to insist that we have no increase in overall government tax in the next financial year”, he said.

His remarks came two days after planning minister, Anne Waiguru, stepped down over allegations that she had failed to stop the theft of 7.6 million dollars from a national youth empowerment programme.

Kenyatta will however have his work cut for him-the reaction on social media was that action needs to follow intent.