Kenya: It's Nothing Personal, CS Anne Waiguru

Devolution CS Anne Waiguru's argument yesterday that the attacks on corruption in her ministry are personal and calculatedly evil is just plain wrong.

Waiguru points to corruption in other ministries.

She complains their CSs are not sustaining bad press and negative parliamentary and social media criticism.

Seeking to pass the buck is almost invariably a bad move.
On her watch, the buck stops with her. And Waiguru insists she wants to remain in office.

She cannot deny, for instance, that a Presidential decree earlier this year made CSs, not PSs, ministerial Accounting Officers.

Two other things Waiguru cannot dispute are:

There is extraordinary over-spending in the giant ministry as well as big time theft, all on her watch.

Secondly, Kenyans have a right to be upset about corruption and thievishness wherever they occur or are reliably suspected to occur, and not only in government.

Even assuming she is entirely blameless, CS Waiguru's position is becoming increasingly untenable. In Romania yesterday, Prime Minister Victor Ponta resigned over a nightclub fire that killed 32 people.

Waiguru needs to step aside like the five other CSs who came under suspicion and allow independent and competent investigations to take place.

If she survives a thoroughly professional probe, she will be welcome to return to office. At the end of the day it's nothing personal, Anne Waiguru.

"Evil lurks where disappointment lodges." -- American boxer George Foreman KOed Michael Moorer to become the oldest heavyweight champion at 45 on November 5, 1994