Leader of majority in the senate Kithure Kindiki led by a section of jubilee allied legislators at a press conference on Eurobond cash saga.
BY OUR REPORTER.
Leader of majority in the senate Kithure Kindiki led by a section of jubilee allied legislators in castigating opposition leader Raila Odinga for what they call engaging in a reckless and malicious campaign.
They claimed the opposition was out to damage the government’s image in the international financial market and scare away potential investors
They accused opposition for engaging on a malicious campaign to defame senior government officials by linking them to the alleged loss of billions raised through Eurobond.
The jubilee brigade argued political office should not be used to maliciously destroy people’s careers.
The response comes a day after the Cord leader Raila Odinga’s list of “persons of interest” in the Eurobond cash saga.
Finance CS Henry Rotich in a statement accused the Cord leader of lying at the expense of Kenya’s economic well-being and told the opposition chief to back his allegations with concrete evidence.
“Clearly, these statements are meant to hurt the Kenyan economy through sabotage by keeping away investors. The Kenyan people must hold him to account for lost opportunities now and in the future,” Rotich said.
Raila on Thursday named nine senior Treasury and Central Bank officials whom he called “persons of interest” in the Eurobond saga. He said they should be arrested and prosecuted for leading a “grand robbery of Kenya”. He earlier said he would name “thieves” who stole Sh140 billion proceeds of the Sh250 billion Eurobond.
The government says nothing is missing, every shilling is accounted for.
Led by Senate Majority Leader Kithure Kindiki, more than 15 MPs from the ruling coalition berated Raila, saying he was attempting to mobilise international support to isolate Kenya at a time when the economy was recovering.
“Raila’s revelations were an all-time low anti-climax. Kenyans expected a bombshell, but to their utter shock and dismay they were treated to another episode of political gymnastics,” Kindiki said.
He urged everyone named by Raila to seek legal redress to put end “merry-go-rounds”.
“Raila should spend the whole of 2016 clearing his name in court so he can desist from damaging careers built over years,” Kindiki said.
Mukurwein MP Kabando wa Kabando said there was runaway corruption in the grand coalition government when Raila was Prime Minister.
“We spent a lot of time both on the floor of the House and the ministries to have him account for various projects, including the maize scandal and Kazi Kwa Vijana initiative,” Kabando said.
“For Raila to cast aspersions on international institutions like JP Morgan is like telling the international community not to trade with Kenya,” Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa said.
Earlier yesterday, MPs Jimmy Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache North), Zebedeo Opore (Bonchari), Ben Momanyi (Borabu) and Nyamira Senator Kennedy Mong’are told Raila to apologise for linking CBK Chairman Mohamed Nyaoga to the Eurobond drama.
“Raila has become a reckless propagandist on an unknown mission. We are in Cord but we are considering our position and time will tell,” Mong’are warned.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga named President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Chief of Staff Joseph Kinyua and top officials of the National Treasury and the Central Bank of Kenya top the list of ‘persons of interest’ that opposition leader Raila Odinga wants nailed for the “missing” billions in the Eurobond saga.
Addressing a news conference in Nairobi, Mr Odinga said Kinyua, Treasury’s Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, the principal secretary Kamau Thugge, CBK chairman Mohammed Nyaoga, former CBK governor Njuguna Ndung’u, accountant-general Bernard Ndung’u and CBK’s financial markets director John Birech and his financial management colleague Moses Muthui owed Kenyans an explanation on how the Sh250 billion bonds was spent.
Mr Odinga asked President Kenyatta to seek global help independent international Forensic Audit like the UK’s Serious Fraud Office to completely track and trace the whereabouts of Sh 102 billion ($999 million) of the Eurobond Proceeds that were not paid into the Consolidated Fund.
Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) Chairman Mohamed Nyaoga has threatened to sue Odinga for linking him to the scandal, that has caused strong antagonism between the ruling government and the Opposition, with both accusing each other of malice.
