President Uhuru Kenyatta delivers his State of the Nation address in Parliament on April 4, 2019.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday said that he is getting pressure the public as well as political leaders to sack corrupt cabinet secretaries and senior government officials.
Speaking in parliament during his State of the Nation Address, President Kenyatta said the war on graft would only be fought within the confines of the law and not based on the public uproar. However, he issued a stern warning to corrupt leaders that they will face prosecution.
“I must say that I have been under pressure that who am I sacking? But I must, however, caution that the pursuit of the corrupt will be undertaken strictly within the remits of the law. It will not be done through vigilante justice and pitchfork protest,” said the President.
“Though media narratives rally our resolve as they should, our actions will not be based on condemnation before one has been heard. The cornerstone of our democracy is the rule of law, and the principle of due process is a critical anchor.”
President Kenyatta’s remarks came on amidst hot debate over the Ksh.21 billion Arror and Kimwarer dams scandal in which multiple Cabinet Secretaries have since been questioned.
During his address, however, the Head of State assured Kenyans that the country was winning the war on corruption saying
“If you love your country, you should reject corruption, and all those who steal the sweat of your countrymen.”
He further added that – henceforth – any government officials taken to court over corruption will have to step aside and answer to their cases first.
“As I have I said and done before, I once again undertake that anyone whose case goes before
court will be removed from government, and will thereafter have to answer their case before a court of law,” he said.