President Uhuru Kenyatta
has reiterated that there will be no sacred cows in his war against corruption,
and declared he was ready to open the door for his family’s wealth to be
audited. ALSO READ: Mid-tier banks post mixed results Mr Kenyatta said he was
willing to have his relatives, stretching back to his great grandfather, probed
to demonstrate that no one, irrespective of their closeness to him or the
offices they held, would be spared in the ongoing war against corruption.
Family members “We can even go back to my grandfather, great grandfather, no
problem,” he said in an interview on the BBC’s Hard Talk programme. A Forbes
magazine report in 2011 put the family’s net worth at $500 million, with
500,000 acres of prime land in different parts of the country. “I’ve always
said if there is an instance where anybody can say whatever we’ve done or
obtained has not been legitimate, say so, we are ready to face any court,” he
said. Know if news is factual and true. Text ‘NEWS’ to 22840 and always receive
verified news updates. The interviewer had asked how the President would wipe out
corruption, considering that his family was worth $500 million, according to
the 2011 Forbes magazine report. The journalist cited the 2008 Truth Justice
and Reconciliation Commission report that said his father Jomo Kenyatta
appeared to have benefited “immensely from irregular allocations of land. ‘By
1965 Kenyatta is reported to have used his position as President to buy
numerous settler farms’.” “The key word there is buy (the land),” replied the
President. ALSO READ: Graft war: Getting rid of greedy cartels will not be
without pain “Will you allow this lifestyle audit to investigate historic
acquisition of wealth,” she asked. “A 100 per cent, perfectly welcome,”
answered the President. The President ordered a lifestyle audit of public
servants in June, and said the exercise would begin with him and his deputy. My
legacy Immediately after, Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi challenged him to include a
review of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s wealth in his audit. Yesterday, the Head of
State said the spotlight was now on the Judiciary to swiftly prosecute current
cases. “This (graft war) is something that I am committed to and I intend to
leave as my legacy,” he said. “…fight against corruption and transparency to
ensure that the nation’s resources are used in the best interests of the people
of the republic.” ALSO READ: How Uhuru views Trump’s ‘shithole’ remarks The
President said results of the audits would be made public for Kenyans to know
what civil servants own. “Going forward we will put in place measures where
every public servant’s assets must be declared publicly so that people can
question and ask what’s legitimate and not, and if you can’t explain yourself,
including myself, then I have a case to answer,” he said. He said the focus
would now be on courts for people to “realise the age of impunity is over.”
“What Kenyans are now looking forward to is that our courts of law do their
part and expeditiously process those cases and convict in the shortest time
possible,” he said. Uhuru said no position would be created for opposition
leader Raila Odinga following their handshake.
has reiterated that there will be no sacred cows in his war against corruption,
and declared he was ready to open the door for his family’s wealth to be
audited. ALSO READ: Mid-tier banks post mixed results Mr Kenyatta said he was
willing to have his relatives, stretching back to his great grandfather, probed
to demonstrate that no one, irrespective of their closeness to him or the
offices they held, would be spared in the ongoing war against corruption.
Family members “We can even go back to my grandfather, great grandfather, no
problem,” he said in an interview on the BBC’s Hard Talk programme. A Forbes
magazine report in 2011 put the family’s net worth at $500 million, with
500,000 acres of prime land in different parts of the country. “I’ve always
said if there is an instance where anybody can say whatever we’ve done or
obtained has not been legitimate, say so, we are ready to face any court,” he
said. Know if news is factual and true. Text ‘NEWS’ to 22840 and always receive
verified news updates. The interviewer had asked how the President would wipe out
corruption, considering that his family was worth $500 million, according to
the 2011 Forbes magazine report. The journalist cited the 2008 Truth Justice
and Reconciliation Commission report that said his father Jomo Kenyatta
appeared to have benefited “immensely from irregular allocations of land. ‘By
1965 Kenyatta is reported to have used his position as President to buy
numerous settler farms’.” “The key word there is buy (the land),” replied the
President. ALSO READ: Graft war: Getting rid of greedy cartels will not be
without pain “Will you allow this lifestyle audit to investigate historic
acquisition of wealth,” she asked. “A 100 per cent, perfectly welcome,”
answered the President. The President ordered a lifestyle audit of public
servants in June, and said the exercise would begin with him and his deputy. My
legacy Immediately after, Kapsaret MP Oscar Sudi challenged him to include a
review of Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s wealth in his audit. Yesterday, the Head of
State said the spotlight was now on the Judiciary to swiftly prosecute current
cases. “This (graft war) is something that I am committed to and I intend to
leave as my legacy,” he said. “…fight against corruption and transparency to
ensure that the nation’s resources are used in the best interests of the people
of the republic.” ALSO READ: How Uhuru views Trump’s ‘shithole’ remarks The
President said results of the audits would be made public for Kenyans to know
what civil servants own. “Going forward we will put in place measures where
every public servant’s assets must be declared publicly so that people can
question and ask what’s legitimate and not, and if you can’t explain yourself,
including myself, then I have a case to answer,” he said. He said the focus
would now be on courts for people to “realise the age of impunity is over.”
“What Kenyans are now looking forward to is that our courts of law do their
part and expeditiously process those cases and convict in the shortest time
possible,” he said. Uhuru said no position would be created for opposition
leader Raila Odinga following their handshake.