By Mwakilishi
President Uhuru Kenyatta speaks during Jamhuri Day celebrations at Nyayo Stadium on December 12, 2015. PHOTO | JEFF ANGOTE...
President Uhuru Kenyatta used Jamhuri daycelebrations to take stock on the war against corruption revealing that a substantial amount of money had been recovered as a result of the ongoing fight against the vice.
President Kenyatta declared before thousands of Kenyans at the Nyayo Stadium in an event witnessed by the visiting Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that corruption is the country’s great enemy.
“We need to fight it with the same tenacity and unity of purpose with which we have fought, and won, other battles. A bribe is given to let a faulty public servicevehicle go through a roadblock; later the vehicle crashes and kills innocent Kenyans. Terrorists offer bribes hoping to cross our borders. Corruption kills,” he said.
President Kenyatta said his efforts against corruption had begun to pay dividends as “Sh2.24 billion of corruptly-acquired money and property have either been frozen or recovered.”
He announced that the Swiss authorities had helped freeze Sh200 million held abroad in connection with the Anglo Leasing fraud.
“We are working with other friendly governments to ensure that illegally acquired assets hidden in their countries are returned” he said.
The President also said he gazetted preservation orders prohibiting the transfer of property purchased with funds embezzled from the National Youth Service, a department dogged with numerous pilferage cases this year.
President Kenyatta also warned the media that they will be held accountable for any reporting on unsubstantiated claims against the government.
The opposition skipped the fete in what is seen as part of the ongoing stand-off with the government after officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commissionbarricaded the offices of Cord leader Raila Odinga on Thursday.
The opposition received a fair share of bashing from speakers at the function.
Deputy President William Ruto set the tone by declaring that the opposition was out to sabotage the economy by claiming the government was entertaining corruption.
He challenged the Judiciary to act decisively to conclude the cases before it to help win the war.
The head of State enumerated other achievements he credited to his regime asking the opposition to give him space to execute what he promised the electorate during the campaigns.
“Let them wait for the elections time, they may not like me but they should criticise in a mature manner because that is what democracy provides for,” he said.
- Nation.co.ke
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