KENYAN
PRESS RELEASE
Civil Society and Private Sector
Statement on the Resignation of the Permanent Secretary,
Governance and Ethics, Office of the President
We, the undersigned civil society
and private sector associations and organisations
would like to express our anger and outrage at the
implications of the resignation of John Githongo from
the position of Permanent Secretary for Governance
and Ethics under the Office of the President.
As the founder of the Kenyan chapter
of Transparency International (TI), Githongo brought
to the government ethical credibility and legitimacy
whose financial benefits can only be said to be indisputable.
Thus his resignation, despite already being framed
by the government as being the result of ‘professional
opportunism’ sounds the death knell on this
government’s purported anti-corruption effort.
The implications of his resignation
are many, however much this government may try to
dispute them:
First, his resignation makes it clear
that the influence of reform-minded civil society
actors in government with respect to accountability
is over. We are particularly concerned about the fate
of other former civil society actors in anti-corruption
initiatives as well as in the Law Reform Commission
and Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC);
Second, his resignation makes it
clear that of the two parallel imperatives within
this government—the first being ethical and
reform-minded and the second being corrupt and politically-expedient—the
latter is winning. We are especially concerned about
the future of the so-called ‘war against corruption’
in this dynamic;
Third, his resignation makes it clear
that the plethora of so-called anti-corruption initiatives
need harmonisation and legal standing. We no longer
believe in this government’s commitment to hold
individuals and institutions accountable for corruption.
The Attorney-General’s office, responsible for
public prosecutions, has failed to use its Constitutional
powers and has hence become an accomplice to corruption;
Fourth, Githongo’s resignation
from the position of advisor to the President on matters
of ethics and governance, makes its clear that the
President has lost interest in the anti-corruption
effort in this country. We no longer have faith that
the President’s personal commitment to anti-corruption
exists.
We therefore demand that:
1. The President immediately dismisses
all Cabinet ministers and suspends all senior government
officials against whom substantive allegations of
corruption have been made;
2. The President immediately re-constitute
his government on the basis of competence and integrity
rather than the ethnic/regional considerations he
clearly took into account in his last Cabinet expansion;
3. Parliament consider a vote of
no confidence in this government in the absence of
Presidential action on the above;
4. Parliament insist on the right
to freedom of information and demand to subject to
public scrutiny the budget for anti-corruption initiatives
in this country and outcomes thereof;
5. Civil society organisations, including
the private sector, re-consider its engagement in
smokescreen reform efforts such as the Governance,
Justice and Law and Order Sector (GJLOS) programme
until such accountability measures are taken;
6. Citizens, local businesses and
other civil society organisations halt the payment
of all taxes until such accountability measures are
taken.
In addition, we demand that the President
and the rest of the Executive guarantee the personal
safety of Githongo and that all human rights and media
organisations in this country and elsewhere mobilise
around his personal safety as a matter of urgency.
Date: February 8, 2005
Signed by the following civil society
and private sector associations/organisations:
1. African Women’s Development
and Communication Network (FEMNET): L. Muthoni Wanyeki,
Executive Director
2. Centre for Governance and Development (CGD): Kennedy
Masime, Executive Director
3. Centre for Legal Advocacy and Research International
(CLARION): Winnie Mitullah, Executive Director
4. Centre for Rights, Education and Awareness (CREAW):
Ann Njogu, Executive Director
5. Children’s Rights Advocacy, Documentation
and Legal Education (CRADLE): Millie Odhiambo, Executive
Director
6. Coalition on Violence Against Women (COVAW): Ms
Kamau
7. Constitutional Reform and Education Consortium
(CRECO): Wambua Kituku, Coordinator
8. EcoNews Africa: Grace Githaiga, Executive Director
9. Institute for Education in Democracy (IED): Koki
Muli, Executive Director
10. International Commission of Jurists (ICJ): Philip
Kichana, Executive Director
11. Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM): Betty
Maina, Chief Executive Officer
12. Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC): Wanjiku
Miano, Executive Director
13. Kituo cha Sheria: Harun Ndubi, Executive Director
14. Legal Resources Foundation (LFF): Jedidah Wakonyo,
Executive Director
15. Mazingira Institute: Davinder Lamba, Executive
Director
16. National Council Executive Committee (NCEC): Kepta
Ombati, Executive Director
17. Release Political Prisoners (RPP): Kangethe Mungai,
National Coordinator
18. Transparency International (TI)-Kenya: Gladwell
Otieno, Executive Director
19. Urgent Action Fund: Betty Murungi, Regional Director
20. Youth Agenda: Danny Irungu, Chief Executive Officer
For further information, please contact
Gladwell Otieno, Executive Director, TI-Kenya, Tel:
2727763/5
