This archive report was first published on 28 July 2019.
On July 28, 2019, Kenya witnessed a significant shift in the fight against corruption with the swift arrest and arraignment of senior officials accused of embezzling billions of shillings in a large infrastructure project.
Unlike in the past, President Uhuru Kenyatta moved swiftly to replace these officials without requesting them to 'step aside', a move that has sparked renewed hope for a corruption-free government.
However, many Kenyans remain sceptical, recalling past instances where officials were asked to 'step aside' only to have their cases dismissed for lack of evidence.
Convictions of senior public officials accused of corruption have been long in coming, giving the corrupt a sense of invincibility.
For the war on corruption to be won, it is essential to consistently deal with corrupt elements as soon as they are discovered, conduct thorough investigations, and prosecute cases with vigour to secure convictions.
Anything less will be seen as empty rhetoric, and the perception of selective prosecutions will continue to be used as a political tool.
Lukoye Atwoli is the Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Dean, Moi University School of Medicine.
