President Kenyatta releases 7,000 petty offenders

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Thursday made good his promise and released 7,000 petty offenders in what he said was a move to free up space in jail to accommodate government officials involved in high-level corruption.

Coming in the week when his government has been in the spotlight over the fight against corruption, President Kenyatta once again said his government had done all it could to crack down on graft.

The Head of State asked Chief Justice David Maraga to ensure the anti-corruption cases pending in courts are finalised and the 7,000 spaces in prison taken up by those who have looted Kenya.

“We have released these chicken and cow thieves, and the other small things. And the Chief Justice is here,” President Kenyatta said as he turned to CJ Maraga. “Now that space can be used to lock up those big people who have (stolen) public funds.”

The President was speaking during the 7th Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos County, the first of its kind to be held outside Nairobi. However, this was the second national day to be held outside the capital after the Madaraka Day celebrations held in Nakuru in June.

Thursday’s celebrations were attended by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula. However, Cord leader Raila Odinga did not attend because he was travelling to the UK.

The President’s anti-graft stance was the third time in as many days this week that the President was absolving himself of blame for what critics and the Opposition see as a lacklustre fight against corruption.

On Tuesday, during a charged State House summit to discuss the Jubilee administration’s scorecard in the fight against corruption, a frustrated President Kenyatta said he had done his best to punish looters.

EMPHATIC STATEMENT

He again made the same emphatic statement when he launched the second phase of the standard gauge railway in Kajiado on Wednesday, when he asked Kenyans to sign a petition against corrupt leaders to send them home.

In the Tuesday State House summit, President Kenyatta cut the image of a man continually frustrated by a system he said he had no control over.

“As President, if there is one issue that has frustrated me, it is this issue. And I will say why. Because the pressure is on me,” President Kenyatta said. “Show me any administration since independence that has taken action on corruption like I have done. I have removed everybody. I have done my part.”

He put the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission boss Halakhe Waqo on the spot, saying he had acted on the information given by the commission and presented names of corruption suspects to Parliament in 2014, yet no action had been taken against those in the list.

On Thursday, President Kenyatta steered clear of politics in his 30-minute address, one of his shortest national day speeches since 2013. He asked Kenyans to embrace unity and patriotism.

Mr Kenyatta told Kenyans that for the struggle of the heroes of yesteryears to bear fruit, they must ensure that they keep the struggle for a united nation alive continuously.

He named as Kenya’s heroes the pre-independence fighters; those who fought against the repressive one-party rule of President Daniel arap Moi in the 1990s; Kenyan athletes who continually rule the world in various championships and those who fought and brought the 2010 Constitution.

EBOLA EPIDEMIC

He also recognised Ms Lydiah Mukhaye who led a team of health professionals to fight the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, Mr Salah Farah, a Muslim who gave his life to protect Christians in a terrorist attack, and Mr David ole Sankok, a person with disability who has gone to build a name for himself in medicine.

He also singled out independence heroes Jomo Kenyatta, Masaku wa Munyati, Koitalel arap Samoei and Chege wa Kibiru, Dedan Kimathi, Paul Ngei, Field Marshall Muthoni, Muindi Mbingu, Henry Muoria, Pio Gama Pinto and Kisoi Munyao for a special mention for their contributions.

But most importantly, he said, were all Kenyans who are motivated to do well.

“And as we become better Kenyans — better citizens — we become a better nation: a nation worth dying for, because only a nation worth dying for is a nation worth living in,” he said.

The Head of State said that Kenya would remain a strong nation only if the media, politicians, business and other sectors balance their individual goals and those of the nation.

He particularly singled out the 2017 elections that he said should not divide Kenyans.

“Kenyans rely on you to navigate this period successfully. As you pursue your own individual and collective aims, I trust that you will show the world that Kenyans can disagree politically, and yet remain a strong and united nation,” he said.

Deputy President William Ruto said the Jubilee administration was committed to the spirit of devolution. “We have disbursed in excess of Sh1 trillion in the past four years to roll out development and eliminate marginalisation.”

Mr Musyoka, who also addressed the gathering, said: “In order to give ourselves a culture of nationalism, we should merge this day with the Constitution day and rename it the Constitutional and Heroes Day.”