President Uhuru Kenyatta. [Photo/edaily.co.ke]
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech during his Tuesday inauguration has been under debate with Kenyans serving it with mixed reactions.
Some said it was filled with hope and depicted a figure that is ready to charge at a reconciliatory call.
But a section of prominent anti-corruption crusaders now question the total absence of public commitment towards tackling one of the most dreadful governance hiccups in his first term as president-graft.
Activist Boniface Mwangi took to Twitter to question how President Kenyatta was committing to fight graft during his second term.
“I didn’t hear him say a single word on corruption and how he’s going to fight it. I didn’t hear anything on justice,” Boniface Mwangi protested.
During his speech; Kenyatta the elections “are now firmly behind us” promising to devote his time and energy to “build bridges.”
But, he warned, Kenyans needed to “free ourselves from the baggage of past grievances, and ... keep to the rule of law”.
However, activist Boniface Mwangi who unsuccessfully vied for Starehe parliamentary seat on Ukweli Party said; “When he says that there’s the rule of law, his actions and the actions of his government show there’s no rule of law.”
President Kenyatta’s government has visibly ignored key reports on corruption from the country’s auditor-general Edward Ouko, at one point accusing the auditor of malice and acting on behalf of enemies of the State.
Last year, Kenyatta said he wanted to tackle corruption but his “hands are tied”. This remark angered many Kenyans who began questioning the sovereignty of the office of the president.