Kenya Kwanza manifesto: William Ruto to investigate Uhuru Kenyatta administration

This is outlined in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto that was launched on Thursday night in which the coalition promised to create eight tribunals, task forces and review panels to reverse Mr Kenyatta’s policies.

The manifesto also promises to form a commission of inquiry on various matters touching on how the government was run in what could mean going after the President.

Ruto promises to establish “within 30 days, a quasi-judicial public inquiry to establish the extent of cronyism and state capture in the nation and make recommendations” under the ‘Ending State Capture’ sub-topic of the manifesto.

While on the campaign trail on Friday, July 01,Ruto’s campaign team, led by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro AND Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata took it upon themselves to explain the proposal and accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of using state policies to his favour, noting that the commission will revisit and investigate this should Kenya Kwanza form the next government.

Senator Kang’ata noted that key sectors of the economy are in the hands of a few powerful families, a trend that the commission and the Kenya Kwanza administration will be keen to reverse should they win the August polls.

“Certain families dominate key sectors. The energy sector is in the hands of a few. The extent of capture needs a study, hence the proposal. State capture retards development. It establishes negative linkages between politics and economy. This has nothing to do with Uhuru. It has everything to do with Kenyans’ wellbeing,” Kang’ata explained.

On his part, Nyoro alleged that “The kind of greed we have witnessed in the last seven years is unprecedented. It has dwarfed the stealing of Mau Mau land after Independence. State capture has strangled our economy. The problem is that the President and his allies have over the last 10 years made policies and decisions to benefit his enterprise. Just like the Guptas in South Africa, everything has been choreographed to benefit the private businesses of those in power.”

Experts opine that while the proposal is a good one, it should be anchored in law and should be protected from the same people who may be investigated.

Constitutional law expert, Bobby Mkangi welcomed the proposal but cautioned that the same should be protected from also being captured by the same who may be roped into the investigations.

An enquiry of such monumental proportions would definitely throw Mr Kenyatta and his administration right at the center and could mirror South Africa’s Zondo Commission of Inquiry into allegations of state capture by the Gupta family.

In an elaborate scheme, the Gupta family spread its tentacles into the Jacob Zuma administration, taking over key sectors of the economy and calling shots on key government decisions and policies from behind the scenes.