Kenya: Raila promises to fight graft if elected president

By Samuel Ouma Kenyan presidential aspirant and the opposition leader Raila Odinga has vowed to fight corruption that is ailing the country should he become president. Odinga spoke in London on Tuesday, March 15, 2022, during the BBC Focus on Africa show, hosted by Sophie Ikenye. “I’m going to be ruthless about corruption, through graft a lot of funds are being lost in our country. The President himself has estimated about Ksh.2 billion ($20 million) daily that works to be about Ksh.780B ($7.8 billion) that is more than what I require,” Odinga said. Corruption is one of the major problems bedeviling the East Africa nations. Public resources are being looted especially by those in the authority led by the politicians and whopping percentage of leaders have pending graft cases in the courts. The cases drag in the law courts and later dismissed due to insufficient evidence. Some of the politicians facing corruption charges are former Nairobi Governors Evans Kidero and Mike Sonko, former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, Governors Okoth Obado, Anne Waiguru, Moses Lenolkulal, Sospeter Ojaamong and Muthomi Njuki, former Kiambu Governors Ferdinand Waititu, Waithaka Mwangi and Godana Doyo,  MPs Aisha Jumwa and Rigathi Gachagua. Meanwhile, Human Rights activist Okiya Omtatah had gone to court  seeking an order to have persons with integrity issues blocked from vying in the 2022 General Elections. According to the petitioner, the best way to ensure good governance, including preventing rampant theft of public funds and a general lack of transparency and accountability in the public sector, is to ensure that only people of integrity are elected to State offices at both the county and national levels of government. On the second day of his visit to the United Kingdom, ODM Leader Raila Odinga met with the Minister for the Armed Forces, James Heappey, in the presence of Kenya's Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Manoah Esipisu, and numerous leaders who accompanied him. The discussions focussed on security cooperation, with the goal of strengthening Kenya-UK ties in the future.