Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has called out President William Ruto, demanding transparency regarding the alleged daily theft of public funds by government employees.
Referencing former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s admission that Ksh 2 billion was embezzled daily during his tenure, Abdullahi challenged Ruto to disclose whether this figure has increased, decreased, or remained the same.
“Kenyans need an urgent update from H.E. William Ruto Mr. President, your predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta officially told Kenyans that government employees during his tenure stole Ksh 2 billion daily. Mr. President is that figure up or down or same?” he posed in a Wednesday, February 21 statement.
These remarks by the senior lawyer came in reference to a past interview by the retired head of state who spoke to local media houses on 18th January 2021.
In the interview, Uhuru Kenyatta addressed claims that the anticipated referendum through the BBI will cost around Ksh2 billion.
He dismissed talk of a costly referendum drive, claiming the alleged Ksh2 billion was more than what was being corruptly siphoned from public coffers.
“Even those talking about the cost of a referendum, I don’t know where they are getting those figures from. These people don’t mislead the public that Ksh2 billion will be spent, yet what they steal every day is more than Ksh2 billion,” Kenyatta stated then.
Also Read: Kenya Ranked Position 21 on Africa’s Latest Corruption Index
Ruto Vows to Fight Corruption
During President William Ruto’s presidential campaigns, he portrayed himself as a leader committed to fighting corruption to promote both himself and his agenda to an electorate already embittered by rampant corruption in Kenya.
Once in office, he vowed to curb the vice within his government, repeatedly threatening to clamp down on corrupt officials.
“The corrupt have only three choices; they either relocate to another country, go to jail, or go to heaven,” Ruto said multiple times at political gatherings.
On August 17, 2023, the head of state pledged to take firm action against corrupt individuals within the government to protect public resources.
While emphasizing his dedication to safeguarding taxpayers’ money, Ruto cautioned potential wrongdoers about facing severe consequences.
He further underscored this stance during his visit to Nakuru in August 2024, specifically addressing bribery in military personnel recruitment, stating his administration’s intolerance for such practices.
Additionally, on January 2, 2024, the president promised to take strong action against judicial officers colluding with influential individuals to exploit the health insurance fund, citing the obstruction of development projects by corrupt elements within the judiciary.
“It is not possible that we respect the judiciary while a few individuals who are beneficiaries of corruption are using corrupt judicial officials to block our development projects,” Ruto said.
Also Read: Kenya Wins Bid to Host Anti-Corruption Hub for Africa
Kenya’s Ranking in Corruption
Prevalence of corruption in Kenya increased in 2023, according to a report published by Transparency International on January 30th, 2024.
The report ranked Kenya position 126 out of 180 countries, dropping three positions from 123 in 2022 in the global corruption index published by Transparency International.
However, a new report by the Public Service Commission (PSC); a public body mandated to manage Kenya’s human resources exposed fault lines in the president’s anti-graft war.
The report shows Kenya’s public officers looted Ksh 605m in corrupt deals in government in the financial year ending June 2023.
It also emerged that in the 2022/2023 financial year, 19,467 unauthorized staff were added to the government payroll against the recommended staff establishment to ministries and departments.
State House, the official residence of the president, and New Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC), a state-owned dairy processing company, are at the top of the list of public offices plagued by ghost workers.
