BY LODRICK MAYABI
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| null     1/1 KACC director Prof Patrick Lumumba/FILE NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 10 - The Director of the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission PLO Lumumba has hit out at Lands Minister James Orengo, reminding him that his role in the multi party struggle cannot be used to rate his performance in government. In a hard-hitting letter to the minster and which was copied to the Law Society of Kenya, Prof Lumumba is insistent that he will not be deterred from using all methods granted by law to his anti-graft agency in creating awareness in the fight against corruption. Prof Lumumba says that the issues of corruption raised by the Law society of Kenya to the Lands Ministry in a street demonstration a fortnight ago - and in which he took part - were legitimate and of urgent concern. "I have noted your ad hominem attacks in the media which detract from the issues in which the Law Society of Kenya raised with your ministry and which I support as a lawyer and as the Director of Kenya Anti Corruption Commission," the letter dated July 8 says. He particularly told Mr Orengo: "Please do not pooh pooh the message against corruption and poor service delivery in the Ministry of Lands because you dislike the messenger nor should you forget the antelope of corruption in pursuit of the squirrel of ad personam attacks." Prof Lumumba is adamant that the Ministry of Lands is not immune to scrutiny by the mere fact that it is headed by a person who participated in the fight for reforms. "Without prejudice, I fail to understand how the struggle for multi party is related to the Ministry of Lands," the letter adds. "Please stand informed that the commission and its director will not be deterred from using all the legal methods to create awareness in the fight against corruption as is mandated by law," he told Mr Orengo. Last Friday, Mr Orengo challenged the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission's director to focus on his work of investigating corruption and ensuring that those found culpable are prosecuted instead of participating in demonstrations. "I take exceptions to the Director of KACC who - forgetting about his mandate and instead of doing his job - he is out there demonstrating; the reports we give get nowhere. If he wants lessons in demonstrating I can organize counter demonstrations effectively," he said in reference to his participation in the struggle for multi party politics. Mr Orengo described the ministry as effective saying: "We have recovered public land all over the Republic, like the Kenyatta International Conference Centre, law courts (in Eldoret) land belonging to the Judiciary in Nairobi and Mombasa." Mr Orengo maintained that his ministry had made strides in recovering public land, while the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission had failed to get any court case ruled in its favour despite the commission having its staff attached to the Lands Ministry on fulltime basis. "Within the ministry we have got officials of KACC working full time, if they have any issue regarding corruption or malpractice they should prosecute," the minister said. Mr Orengo also challenged the KACC boss to indeed prove that he was committed to his work by investigating and instituting proceedings against officials of the Lands Ministry found culpable. "If he indeed has to prosecute I don't want him to prosecute a clerk, let him prosecute senior officials, they have no excuse lamenting out there when it is their mandate," he articulated referring to the failure by the KACC to prosecute senior government officials. Follow us on TWITTER @CapitalFM_Kenya |
Read more: http://capitalfm.co.ke/news/Kenyanews/PLO%3A-Orengo-pooh-poohing-graft-fight-13540.html#ixzz1RhuBX5Aw
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