ODM Leader Raila Odinga speaks with Radio Citizen’s Vincent Ateya, 8th June 2021
During his recent interview on radio, Opposition leader Raila Odinga stated that “People who misuse public funds should be in jail. I’d rather not be President than allow that to happen’.
However, it would not be fair to only have one sided arrests and jailing of corrupt people, i.e. only those in the public sector.
How about their enablers in the private sector those that have robbed the youths of their time, resources and innovation?
If the war on corruption must be won, then firms such as Equity, Safaricom, Family Bank, just to mention a few must also face the music.
Though we agree with Mr Odinga that public servants must lead by example, an upward mobile society deals with corruption at ever sphere of life, even in private sector.
Intertwined
For example, the govt of Kenya has never truly been committed to the good of the general public since independence.
The problem has always been to please foreigners, Europeans, Indians and those that masquerade as having fought for independence. Mount Kenya, give me a break.
In the above scenario, some people working separately in the private and public sector have used the lethargy of anti-corruption agencies, the laxity of the collective to drive a common good, to fleece the public and run things to the ground.
No branding can wash the sins of this one. Safaricom is one of the most evil firms in Kenya. It operates on the maxim that ‘we are untouchable, we can do wrong and there’s nowhere you will take us’.
Youths are being lied to by firms such as Safaricom and KCB through things such as BeYourOwnBoss and Ajira Digital so as to make it seem like they are being catered for.
What the youth need are not the above pacifying handouts but better working environment where taxes are low, business licensing is quick and cheap, the census numbers actually mean something and above all, the judicial system works.
Through the mixture of big money, sleaze and corruption has entered into the crevices left by govt. This is what enables a firm like Safaricom to set up a portal ostensibly to invite ideas for partnership by youths.
It is even painful that William Ruto promotes the brand of ‘steal and donate’. What have we become?
This is why, years later, cases against Zindua Portal and its theft of intellectual properties and lazy or slowed-down courts can’t help the youths.
Managers at Safaricom, especially Sylvia Mulinge, who is an old dog and a person solely responsible for such theft as happened through Zindua portal sits pretty knowing that she will die in old age in bed while surrounded by family.
The corruption in govt lets such people off the hook easily even though she’s ben fingered for murder through drunk driving, she’s been fingered for pocketing over Sh700 million in the digital matatu payments scheme that collapsed.
From right to left: Police officer, Peter Munyiri and others in court to answer to charges of money laundering
She’s not alone.
Other people such as Peter Munyiri a crook by all standards, one of the important architects of money laundering of NYS proceeds, is gearing to run for a political seat in one of the most famous central Kenya region.
He, Munyiri seeks to escape justice after endangering the lives of millions of Family Bank clients who have saved money for years.
He Munyiri, represents a lot of them, folks who have committed financial crimes but masquerade as industry leaders in private sector.
They are easy and sit pretty because of the corruption in the public sector where a judge can be easily bribed, a state official can be threatened so as to delay a case against the biggest Telco, a young banker can be knocked down dead along Mombasa road because he/she stumbled upon a damning thing that their boss was doing.
There are many other crooks in private sector, but the above two, serves for now.
What am trying to say is that, corruption in Kenya needs a very radical surgery where abrupt swoops and mass arrests of networks is done.
This should be followed by speedy trial and jailing or for some execution. A wind of change.
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