Speaking of a Coalition with Issues, here are a few facts Kenyans need to be reminded of:
How did all this Kimunya v Grand Regency Saga start?
As a result of the High Court settlement on the 9th of April 2008 - [Civil suit 1111 of 2003( KACC vs Kalmesh pattni ) ] where the consent order read that Patni did agree to relinquish ,transfer ownership of the Grand Regency to the Central Bank; in summary the issue regarding ownership is addressed by this settlement - meaning as of the 9th day of April, 2008 the property belonged to the Govt of Kenya with Central Bank as the Trustee.
Now, a charade of questions surrounding the Government “Disposal and Procurement” of Assets; what went wrong and how should it have been handled? (hint Disposal & Procurement Act).
Here is my interpretation which most people would deem logical; besides breaking the Procurement and Disposal Act and Privatization Act Kimunya has been acting in a very unprofessional manner e.g ignoring summons of parliamentary committees, lying blatantly in public about the involvement of the Libyan govt etc - thus he has broken the Public Officer Ethics Act.
Like it or not the Grand Regency hotel sale saga has now exposed the underlying issues within the coalition government, splitting it along party, ethnic and class lines and putting doubts to any efforts to unite the shaky coalition that has lasted barely four months.
Having said that, MPs are now vowing to frustrate debate on the budget at the Committee of Supplies stage because it is crucial in validating taxation measures i.e. as proposed by the Finance Minister. It is evident MPs are not going to pay taxes and the only way to escape paying taxes is through implicating Kimunya for graft so that they keep enjoying hefty salaries which is free from taxes. What they are forgetting is whoever will be the next Finance Minister will not table down another budget in parliament until June 2009. Lets be real, think Kenyans can afford another long wait and useless debate stalemates at the expense of real issues affecting Kenyans?
It’s a high time the Kenyan MPs realized that Kenyans are no longer ignorant of what is happening in the Country! Whether Kibaki appoints the right person to investigate, I still doubt much will be done…if you think am a skeptic, please be reminded of the Goldenberg Saga and the corrupt individuals who are still enjoying the fruits of their corrupt deals! My advise to our MPs, let’s pick the right battles to fight!
July 9, 2008
A minister or public official who breaks Ethics Act should be sacked and subjected to actions as stipulated in the Act.
Quitting of the errant minister does not mean MPs will escape paying tax. That issue is not for bargain. The President and PM should put their foots down on that matter.
July 9, 2008
All public officials who have abused their positions of trust and named in this reprehensible act of corruption should resign and or barred from holding public office. In the future, not too distant I hope, all public appointees should go thru a rigorous vetting procedure before confirmation, not unlike the US Senate sessions..