Dr. Monica Juma, OP and Official Corruption,
For years, Office of the President (popularly known as ‘OP’) has been epicenter of the corruption deals. Majority of these deals are couched as ‘sensitive special security’ contracts and supplies.
This office has produced millionaires if not billionaires either within or outside government. It is cash cow. The office is deliberately opaque and mysterious perhaps second to National Intelligence Service and shielded from public scrutiny. It is time to lift the lid.
Dr. Monica Juma, who has in one way or the other performed consultancy and or employed in this office, is casualty of the cartels who own this office. The carrels cut across civil service, security honchos, politics and business. They operate mafia style. Anglo Leasing was the ‘OP’ projects.
Lagdera MP Mohammed Shidiye has revealed that Dr. Monica Juma flatly refused to release Kshs. 1.6B supposedly for security function in the Northern Kenya.
Hon Shidiey is quoted, “That is at the heart of the problem. The President agreed that this money be released to help in addressing insecurity in northern Kenya but she vehemently refused until the President had to intervene. I am the one who blew the whistle over her behaviour. She is not even apologetic. She kept on telling us that her office is not a Jubilee party office. That is why Jubilee MPs are very disappointed with her.â€
This begs the question, at what point did MPs start to perform security operations? This is political corruption. It is misusing public funds rather than investing them prudently.
When Auditor General asked Kenyans to ensure the Kenya National Audit Office is strengthened and its financial independence secured, the ‘OP’ cartels with their marionettes in Parliament ganged up to block Auditor General proposals.
Some of the richest people in Kenya today have worked either directly or indirectly in the office of the President. This office must be made transparent, accountable and subject to high standards of public scrutiny of high level official (and political) corruption is to be stopped. Anything else is irrelevant.
Dr. Monica Juma story send only one message: It is time to change the rules governing the office of the President and its related agencies.
The huge mysterious security budget that is allocated to the OP and security agencies must be demystified and broken down to specifics. It is a sham and contradictory to allocate huge security budget but the security situation is worse.
-Ndung’u Wainaina.
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