EDITORIAL: Governors’ resolution on graft war good move

Editorials

EDITORIAL: Governors’ resolution on graft war good move

Sunday, March 10, 2019 22:00

By EDITORIAL

A resolution reached at the just concluded Sixth Devolution Conference that governors charged in court with corruption will step aside may be the impetus the war on corruption has long yearned for.

In the much welcome move, governors asked investigative agencies such as the police, the director of public prosecutions and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to work in concert with the Judiciary to ensure those charged with corruption vacate office.

There has been a deep mistrust between the investigating agencies and the Judiciary over the latter’s frequent release of suspects charged with corruption.

The courts have in the past blocked bids to have state officers charged with corruption removed from office.

State officials charged in courts have found solace in Section 62 (2) of the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Act, which grants blanket immunity to constitutional office holders by stating that they can only vacate office ‘‘ in the manner prescribed by the Constitution.’’

While the devolution conference’s resolution has handed the prosecution agencies a major boost in the war on corruption, we opine that it must be entrenched in law in order to ensure that suspects will not rush to court to defeat the goal.

Corruption has become endemic in all spheres of our society and it is high time that it was uprooted from our midst.

Kenyans are tired of seeing senior figures getting away with the crime while the small fish are always punished.

Some of the sentences meted out on those convicted has been largely seen as a slap on the wrist. The battle should cut across all segments of our society. Left unchecked, corruption can destroy the country’s economic gains.

It is only by arresting and prosecuting all involved that the fight can be won.

There should be no sacred cows in the quest to eradicate the menace. All state agencies should work in concert so that those found liable face the full force of the law.

That is the only way the government can ensure that Kenyans have confidence in the war on corruption.

It is our hope that last week’s resolution at the Devolution Conference was a call to action by all investigative and judicial agencies and not merely a public relations exercise.