Guest Blog Post
By Eric Ng’eno
Instead of addressing the question at hand, Salim Lone has embarked on a platitude-ridden verbal excursion not worthy of even a third rate blogger.
Whilst a discursive engagement on the general state of the Kenyan society may be useful and whereas debate on the war on corruption must be sustained and effective, Lone’s statement is a cynical attempt to avoid a simple direct question of immense public interest.
There’s evidence that Raila Odinga as an individual, party leader and government official has been captive to or intimately connected with entities and characters who are the key drivers and beneficiaries of large scale graft in Kenya.
In particular, Jimi Wanjigi, a notoriously ruthless grand-scale kickback racketeer, has directed and attempted to benefit from policy-level as well as executive decision of the Prime Minister and NASA candidate.
NASA openly acknowledge that Wanjigi is in charge of financial mobilisation for their campaigns. It may reasonably be surmised that Wanjigi’s mobilisation will target other murky and unsavoury figures of his ilk. The distressing implication is that NASA are pledging national coffers to criminals and sundry hoodlums at the expense of citizen welfare.
Pay-for-play is a reliable indicator of total capture, and NASA not shy to announce it to the world.
This is the serious matter that Lone and his masters should deal with instead of self-righteous verbal contortions and extravagant literature.
Ng’eno is the Senior Director of Speech Writing and Messaging at The Presidency