PH
Leaders who are honest are the most hated while the greedy corrupt ones are the people’s favorites, Busia County Assembly Speaker Bernard Wamalwa said on Tuesday.
Speaking during the Leadership and Integrity training workshop for Members of the County Assembly at a Busia Hotel, Wamalwa said this trend should change.
He said Kenya is ranked third in the corruption list globally, thus the need for leaders to get involved in the fight against the vice.
MCAs asked the EACC why cases involving ‘big shots’ dragged in the law courts unlike those for average Kenyans which are dispensed within hours of arrest.
EACC Commissioner Dr Maalim Dabar said the ‘harambee spirit’ is the root cause of corruption among leaders.
“There is pressure among leaders to gain the voters’ favor which in turn prompts them to take part in corrupt deals in the hope of being voted back to power during the next election. For the same reason the ‘harambee spirit’ was banned and any leader taking part in it is breaking the law,” he said and warned leaders against practicing tribalism, nepotism and favouritism.
He added: “This brings about unemployment among the qualified Kenyans which later leads to rise in immorality in the society.”
Corruption, Dr Dabaar said, portrays a negative image of Kenya to the outside world.
This prevents investors from bringing development projects to the country, thus living the country’s economy to languish.
He said corruption thrives where ethics and integrity has been depleted, and noted that that is the reason the commission is reviewing all the systems of the various departments in the county.
Dabaar also revealed that leaders who have bank accounts outside the country need approval from the EACC to verify that they are not taking part in corruption practices.
