‘Not even my friends will be spared’ – Ruto vows to end theft of public resources
President William Ruto has vowed to protect public resources in a renewed fight against corruption in the country.
The head of state affirmed that no one found culpable of the vice will be spared, not even his friends.
“No one will steal or waste public resources. I will deal with them,” President Ruto said, adding that going forward he will talk less and act more.
"I will take personal responsibility in accounting for the resources of the people of Kenya. Whoever will try (to steal) public money will be dealt with accordingly. I have warned everybody including my friends about this. The people of Kenya must get value for the money they give to the government,” he reassured.
The President was speaking in Kandara, Murang’a County, on Friday during the burial of David Wawerū Ng’ethe, father of Dagoretti South Member of Parliament John Kiarie.
The president's remarks come against the backdrop of the purge against senior state officers linked to fraudulent dealings in the country.
On Monday, President Ruto cracked the whip on Public Health Principal Secretary Josephine Mburu over a multi-billion scandal at the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA).
Ruto's administration sent Mburu packing alongside the entire KEMSA board and CEO Terry Ramadhani.
The officials were fired following complaints of alleged impropriety within KEMSA regarding a flawed procurement process that left the country on the verge of losing a Ksh3.7 billion worth of anti-Malaria nets from the Global Fund.
Global Fund, a Switzerland-based organization that funds governments to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, is said to have cancelled Kemsa’s procurement process which seemed flawed in favour of a bidder who did not meet mandatory requirements, at the expense of an actual mosquito nets manufacturer.
Two days later, Ruto's government suspended 27 officials in connection with a mysterious release of illegal sugar.
Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) Managing Director Bernard Njiraini was among top officials suspended over the sale of the condemned sugar worth over Ksh163 million imported to the country in 2018 but was flagged by agency for want of expiry date specification.
Others suspended include officers from the Kenya Revenue Authority, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Anti-Counterfeit Agency, Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC), Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) and Kenya Ports Authority.
