The renewed fight against corruption that peaked with the arrest of Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, two principal secretaries and several other top government officials has received wide applause from the public, which has been increasingly getting worn out with empty promises of action.
Not that the public is fully convinced. Many are sceptical because of the inaction that follows such arrests and court trials. Few people have been convicted and jailed and stolen assets recovered.
But the challenge remains politicisation and ethnicisation of the anti-corruption crusade. Already, a group of politicians from the Rift Valley have started the chorus of condemnation of the investigative and prosecuting agencies, accusing them of bias in the arrest and charging of corruption suspects. This is senseless thinking that must be condemned for what it is.
Individuals who conspire to steal from the State do not do so on behalf of communities. Those serving in government also do not occupy offices because they represent ethnic groups or regions; but on the basis of their qualifications and experience. Conversely, when they err, they take responsibility at personal level.
It is extremely absurd when politicians accuse State agencies of conspiring against their communities. That is sheer intimidation and a move well calculated to demonise and demolish those agencies and shatter the war. And that confirms that corruption fights back and does so fiercely.
We urge the Directorate of Criminal Investigation, Office of the Director of Public Prosecution and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to relentlessly pursue their responsibilities dispassionately, professionally and meticulously and get all those suspected of graft arrested, charged and convicted. Similarly, the Judiciary must act extremely fast to adjudicate and close the cases. The public wants action.
Corruption is a major threat to the stability of the country. Fighting it is an existential imperative. Political irritants issuing reckless threats must be chastised and exposed for who they are.
