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Kenyatta tells officials implicated in graft to carry own cross

Wednesday May 30 2018
Uhuru

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta. He has vowed that some $80 million stolen from the National Youth Service in the country's latest corruption scandal would be recovered. PHOTO FILE | SIMON MAINA | AFP

By PATRICK LANG'AT

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked all government officials implicated in graft to carry their own cross.

A visibly angry President Kenyatta, who has reportedly been getting frequent updates on the ongoing investigations into various financial scandals that have rocked the country in recent days, said that he will not allow corrupt government officials to sabotage his ‘Big Four’ agenda. 

He said the government will spare no efforts to recover all resources stolen from Kenyans through corruption schemes.

"These people who are corrupt should be jailed and we recover all the stolen funds to deliver on the things we promised Kenyans," Mr Kenyatta said when he launched the issuance of title deeds for residents in the capital Nairobi, on Wednesday.

He said all resources and monies recovered will redirected to the original development purposes they were intended for.

Tribal sentiments

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The Head of State cautioned Kenyans to stop using tribal sentiments to defend individuals caught in the web of corruption. He said all corrupt Kenyans must be identified as individuals irrespective of the tribes they came from

“I do not want to hear anybody defending those caught in corrupt dealings. A thief is a thief irrespective of the tribe he/she comes from,” said the President.

President Kenyatta defended the historic handshake with opposition leader Raila Odinga in March saying he had a right to talk with every Kenyan including the opposition leader.

The President said his main concern is about the unity of all Kenyans adding that the country cannot progress without unity and peace.

“Raila is a Kenyan. I have a right to talk to everybody. My aim and that of my Deputy (William Ruto) is to unite all Kenyans,” he said.

The President said while he respects all Kenyans , he will not be bothered by  those opposed  and talking against the unity deal with Mr Odinga .

He asked Kenyans to stop pre-occupying themselves with unproductive politics and concentrate on peaceful co-existence and harmony.

Additional reporting by PSCU

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