War against graft is a ploy, Ekuru Aukot says

Thirdway Alliance party leader Ekuru Aukot has dismissed the government’s fight against corruption terming it a mere gimmick intended to delude Kenyans.

Dr Aukot criticised the drive by Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji, terming it a ploy aimed at displaying a ‘non-existent commitment’ to fight corruption.

“The purported fight against corruption is a plastic one and in essence a futile public relations exercise that the government is engaging Kenyans in.

“The DPP has been taking Kenyans for a ride as none of the corruption cases he has instigated has borne fruit. He does not seem to have a concrete intent to fight the vice,” said Dr Aukot, while speaking the party’s headquarters in Nairobi on Tuesday.

HANDSHAKE

Dr Aukot also threw cold water at the Building Bridges Initiative born out of the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga.

He said there is a lack of discipline in the country’s leadership hence the uncivil way the country’s different political factions are constantly confronting each other.

“We cannot be building bridges with the rest of Kenyans, when our leaders themselves keep burning any existing bridges especially when using foul language and make mean utterances in public or even in their private quarters, towards each other” he said.

The one-time presidential aspirant criticised leaders propagating a constitutional change for what they call ‘inclusivity’, terming their move a strategy to create latitude for accommodating themselves in leadership.

“If we are serious about making 2019 the year of prosperity for every Kenyan, we must begin by rejecting dishonest politics being played out by a few individuals in the pretext of inclusivity. Let us similarly reject any attempts to amend the constitution to accommodate them,” he said, in allusion to his party’s focus on the Punguza Mizigo constitutional change, which he says will benefit the country.

2022 POLLS

The drive, he said, currently has 800,000 signatures and may hit the one million mark by March.

Dr Aukot also chastised the 2022 elections talk terming it immature as the government is yet to fulfill most of its pre-election pledges to Kenyans.

“I challenge the President and Mr Odinga, as well as the emerging political camp rooting for the Deputy President to be civil to each other and Kenyans who hold contrary opinions to their personal pacts.

"What we are witnessing is not the Kenya we should be nurturing this year going forward,” he said.

His sentiments were echoed by the top leadership of the Democratic Party, who in an earlier separate address, called on courtesy between the political groupings, terming the constant utterances by these factions’ leaders detrimental to the spirit of peace, coexistence and social development agenda of the country.

The party’s leaders stated their concern over the heightening political temperatures over the past few weeks, which has seen leaders from different political formations hurling heated exchanges towards each other.

“The leaders’ grievances could have merit and may be genuine, but the manner in which they put forth these concerns, leaves much to be desired,” said the party’s national chairman Esau Kioni.

Affirming its support for the Building Bridges Initiative, the Democratic Party prevailed upon President Kenyatta to bring stability, unity and direction in the current matters and correct the situation which appears to be spiralling out of control.

The party also appealed to all leaders, regardless of their political affiliations, to respect the president not only as an elected leader of the country, but also as a symbol of unity, stability and nationhood.