By IPS Correspondents
NAIROBI, Feb 11 2006 (IPS)

A protest aimed at forcing Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to fire ministers implicated in corruption was thwarted as riot police moved in.

A protest aimed at forcing Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to fire ministers implicated in corruption failed to take place Friday, following action by riot police.

Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered in the capital, Nairobi, to march on the head of state’s residence – where they planned to petition him to take action against the ministers. These officials have been linked to suspect deals involving Anglo Leasing and Finance Ltd – a fictitious company – and to the Goldenberg scandal, involving the manipulation of an export compensation scheme.

The protest was organised by 76 civil society organisations under the banner of the ‘Name and Shame Corruption Network’ (NASCON).

As demonstrators were preparing for the march, police moved in and ordered the crowd to disperse, claiming the protest was illegal. Marchers left the scene peacefully for another part of Nairobi, a short distance away, to discuss future mass action. However, police then ordered this gathering to be broken up as well.

“You know this meeting is illegal, you have no permit. Go and follow the right procedure, then we will let you hold your meeting,” said a senior officer. Police would not heed arguments that NASCON has been authorised to conduct a meeting. The marchers dispersed once again, promising another protest early next week.

Murungi has refused to tender his resignation, insisting that he is innocent – this despite calls that he step down to pave the way for further probes in the alleged graft. Instead, Murungi has sent a list of 36 questions to the Kenyan High Commission in Britain, where a group of parliamentarians is scheduled to meet Githongo, to ask him about the corruption claims.

The former permanent secretary for governance and ethics left his post last year while in Britain on business, and now works at Oxford University; he is said to have received death threats as a result of efforts to uncover corruption in Kenya.

Githongo maintains that President Mwai Kibaki has been kept abreast of all his findings on the Anglo Leasing saga, which involved the payment of about 100 million dollars for contracts to supply Kenya with passport equipment, and to construct forensic laboratories for police.

Apart from Murungi, other key officials named by Githongo are Vice President Moody Awori and erstwhile Finance Minister David Mwiraria, who resigned over the matter last week. Francis Muthaura, head of the civil service and secretary to the cabinet, and former transport minister Chris Murungaru were also mentioned.

Awori, who has appeared before the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) to answer questions about his involvement in the scam, which was uncovered in 2004, has also declined to resign, despite public pressure for him to do so. In addition, Murungaru maintains that he is innocent – but recently sought to block the KACC from probing the sources of his wealth.

Murungaru has also been implicated in a scandal where he reportedly oversaw a tender for the supply of naval ships to the country at inflated prices, and has since been banned from travelling to the United Kingdom and the United States because of graft allegations made against him.

The broadcast of Githongo’s tape came after a report by a commission of inquiry into the Goldenberg affair, involving the fictitious export of gold and diamonds, was officially handed to Kibaki last week. The commission was established in 2003 to investigate the Goldenberg scandal, which took place in the early 1990s under former president Daniel arap Moi.

The country reportedly lost upwards of 600 million dollars in the scandal. Moi’s conduct and that of George Saitoti, education minister in the current government, is questioned in the commission’s report, along with actions by other officials. Saitoti served as finance minister under Moi.

The report is said to have recommended, among other things, prosecution of several persons implicated in the scam. However, hopes that those responsible for the matter would finally be brought to book were dealt a blow this week when government ordered fresh investigations into the graft scandal, said to be the biggest in Kenyan history.

Anti-corruption activists fear that a fresh probe may lead to less harsh recommendations against those implicated in the Goldenberg affair.

Even as his government is enveloped in corruption allegations, Kibaki maintains that it is committed to fighting graft. The president came to power at the end of 2002 on an anti-corruption ticket.

But, activists are demanding that this claim be backed up with action against those named in alleged graft.

“The government’s commitment is going to be determined by how it deals with corruption scams, particularly Anglo Leasing and Goldenberg,” Maina Kiai, chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, a government watchdog, told IPS.

“Already, key government officers both in previous and current regimes who have been named in the twin scandals, are still in office. Why are they still there?”

Adds Evans Owiti of the Bunge La Wananchi organisation (Swahili for “people’s parliament”), “We want to see offenders punished for looting from the public, and we want to see public funds recovered.”

Authorities maintain that some funds – those paid out to Anglo Leasing, for instance – have been recovered.

But activists say more information is needed about where this money was recovered from, and how it was subsequently spent.

Excerpt:

By IPS Correspondents
NAIROBI, Feb 11 2006 (IPS)

A protest aimed at forcing Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki to fire ministers implicated in corruption failed to take place Friday, following action by riot police.

Hundreds of demonstrators had gathered in the capital, Nairobi, to march on the head of state’s residence – where they planned to petition him to take action against the ministers. These officials have been linked to suspect deals involving Anglo Leasing and Finance Ltd – a fictitious company – and to the Goldenberg scandal, involving the manipulation of an export compensation scheme.

The protest was organised by 76 civil society organisations under the banner of the ‘Name and Shame Corruption Network’ (NASCON).

As demonstrators were preparing for the march, police moved in and ordered the crowd to disperse, claiming the protest was illegal. Marchers left the scene peacefully for another part of Nairobi, a short distance away, to discuss future mass action. However, police then ordered this gathering to be broken up as well.

“You know this meeting is illegal, you have no permit. Go and follow the right procedure, then we will let you hold your meeting,” said a senior officer. Police would not heed arguments that NASCON has been authorised to conduct a meeting. The marchers dispersed once again, promising another protest early next week.

Friday’s events follow revelations by former anti-graft advisor John Githongo that ministers were involved in the Anglo Leasing scandal, and that Energy Minister Kiraitu Murungi had tried to interfere with investigations into the matter. A tape on which Murungi, then justice minister, is heard asking Githongo to ease up on his investigations into Anglo Leasing was broadcast Feb. 9 by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The tape was apparently recorded by Githongo.

Murungi has refused to tender his resignation, insisting that he is innocent – this despite calls that he step down to pave the way for further probes in the alleged graft. Instead, Murungi has sent a list of 36 questions to the Kenyan High Commission in Britain, where a group of parliamentarians is scheduled to meet Githongo, to ask him about the corruption claims.

The former permanent secretary for governance and ethics left his post last year while in Britain on business, and now works at Oxford University; he is said to have received death threats as a result of efforts to uncover corruption in Kenya.

Githongo maintains that President Mwai Kibaki has been kept abreast of all his findings on the Anglo Leasing saga, which involved the payment of about 100 million dollars for contracts to supply Kenya with passport equipment, and to construct forensic laboratories for police.

Apart from Murungi, other key officials named by Githongo are Vice President Moody Awori and erstwhile Finance Minister David Mwiraria, who resigned over the matter last week. Francis Muthaura, head of the civil service and secretary to the cabinet, and former transport minister Chris Murungaru were also mentioned.

Awori, who has appeared before the Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission (KACC) to answer questions about his involvement in the scam, which was uncovered in 2004, has also declined to resign, despite public pressure for him to do so. In addition, Murungaru maintains that he is innocent – but recently sought to block the KACC from probing the sources of his wealth.

Murungaru has also been implicated in a scandal where he reportedly oversaw a tender for the supply of naval ships to the country at inflated prices, and has since been banned from travelling to the United Kingdom and the United States because of graft allegations made against him.

The broadcast of Githongo’s tape came after a report by a commission of inquiry into the Goldenberg affair, involving the fictitious export of gold and diamonds, was officially handed to Kibaki last week. The commission was established in 2003 to investigate the Goldenberg scandal, which took place in the early 1990s under former president Daniel arap Moi.

The country reportedly lost upwards of 600 million dollars in the scandal. Moi’s conduct and that of George Saitoti, education minister in the current government, is questioned in the commission’s report, along with actions by other officials. Saitoti served as finance minister under Moi.

The report is said to have recommended, among other things, prosecution of several persons implicated in the scam. However, hopes that those responsible for the matter would finally be brought to book were dealt a blow this week when government ordered fresh investigations into the graft scandal, said to be the biggest in Kenyan history.

Anti-corruption activists fear that a fresh probe may lead to less harsh recommendations against those implicated in the Goldenberg affair.

Even as his government is enveloped in corruption allegations, Kibaki maintains that it is committed to fighting graft. The president came to power at the end of 2002 on an anti-corruption ticket.

But, activists are demanding that this claim be backed up with action against those named in alleged graft.

“The government’s commitment is going to be determined by how it deals with corruption scams, particularly Anglo Leasing and Goldenberg,” Maina Kiai, chairman of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, a government watchdog, told IPS.

“Already, key government officers both in previous and current regimes who have been named in the twin scandals, are still in office. Why are they still there?”

Adds Evans Owiti of the Bunge La Wananchi organisation (Swahili for “people’s parliament”), “We want to see offenders punished for looting from the public, and we want to see public funds recovered.”

Authorities maintain that some funds – those paid out to Anglo Leasing, for instance – have been recovered.

But activists say more information is needed about where this money was recovered from, and how it was subsequently spent.

Excerpt: