NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul, 20 The deputy presidential debate Tuesday evening set the stage for two political nemeses to sell their agenda to Kenyans ahead of the August ,9, 2022 polls.
For nearly two hours, Azimio La Umoja – One Kenya Alliance presidential running mate,Martha Karua and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Kenya Kwanza presidential running mate Rigathi Gachagua, engaged in a fiery debate, in what was a charm offensive to woo voters.
Pertinent issues took center stage however for a significant period of time, the two political veterans squared it off in what appeared to be a political ‘ping-pong’ duel centering around corruption, campaign spending, and the candidate’s personal wealth.
They say that no politician is completely ‘clean’, making references to skeletons within one’s political closet.
Graft Allegations
The two candidates were put to task over their alleged involvement in graft cases and how they would combat the monster that continues to haunt Kenyan society if elected into office.
Gachagu’s ongoing graft probe was brought up as he was forced to explain his source of wealth and income after the Serious Crimes Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in 2020 launched investigations against him over alleged embezzlement of public funds.
The DCI at the time sought to know the source of Sh12.5 billion in his account before later freezing his account.
He is said to have fraudulently secured tenders using 22 companies with him as the sole beneficiary.
The Asset Recovery Agency had also launched investigations into the source of the funds.
Gachagua however while defending himself said that the probe was political instigated in order to tarnish his reputation.
“My accounts did not receive Sh5 billion, I have Sh200 million that is the money that is held,” he said.
He further proceeded to enumerate how he made his money through various business dealings with various state agencies.
“Sh64 million, I worked with ministry of Land and Settlement, Sh10 I worked with Kenya Power, Sh33 million with the Ministry of Livestock, Sh 46 million with another origination called Batek…Sh200 million, that is all the money,” said the combative politician.
Karua meanwhile faulted Gachagua for not championing laws to fight graft in parliament saying that he only discussed the matter when defending himself.
“Mr Gachagua serves in the national assembly, I have never heard him talk about corruption except when defending his own position in the case he is involved in,”
“I am a victim of blackmail by president uHUR kenyatta who I served as a personal assistant. Kenyatta wanted me to abandon William Ruto and I said no because he did not give me a good reason…and one problem started after another. They arrested me on trumped-up charges for one and a ahold years, no evidence in court, nothing,” said Gachagua.
Responding to claims of state capture, Karua said that the fight against corruption was about individuals and not families and that those involved in graft were tantamount to criminal groups ‘re-purposing the state to serve their own interests as opposed to the public good.
The Azimio La Umoja – One Kenya presidential running mate argued that if election petitions are determined in six months, then corruption cases should equally take a similar time frame to be concluded and determined.
“An Azimio government will have a policy position that graft cases and all serious crimes should be investigated and prosecuted within a given time, within 6 months to be specific, so that people, like my colleague Mr. Gachagua, anybody charged with crime against the people, we ought to know whether they are guilty or not so that people do not seek public office when having baggage of cases,”
“…And you do not need a commission to punish crime, you just need serious law enforcement and if you find roadblocks, that cases are taking too long, then parliament can be used to do its work to consider proposals from the government to pass laws that fast track such cases,” said Karua.
Karua, a stickler for the rule of law, was also put on the spot over her involvement in the British American Tobacco (BAT) bribery scandal.
She refuted claims that she had received any bribe or that money was deposited in her personal account.
“Relating to BAT…it was money paid to my campaign secretariat by a donor, not paid to my personal account,later it transpired that it was money from a company. The matter has been investigated in the UK and the file has been closed,” she said further saying,” Azimio campaign secretariat is keeping tab…my personal campaign organization, the new dawn trust is also keeping tabs of all donations coming to me and it is the organization that has received the money you asked earlier for BAT, I do not mix campaign money with my own funds because you have to maintain integrity even with donations,”
The UK government 2021 stated that it ended the three-year investigation that BAT ran a systematic bribery syndicate in Nairobi aimed at stifling anti-tobacco laws and collecting intelligence on rivals.
“I also challenged the DPP of the government Gachagu’s principal served in 2016 to investigate and prosecute me,” she further said.
Karua also dismissed allegations that she used her influence while Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister to allocate land to relatives at her native Gichugu constituency, in Kirinyaga county.
“I am not thirsty for land, worldly goods, I am happy to have a house I call home, I am happy to have a house in my father’s land…I do not look for property, not everybody is hungry to amass.I am hungry to do something to help my country to transform the lives of the people…if you are looking for Martha Karua to be a billionaire, no! I am not hungry for billions,”
Gachagua accused president Kenyatta of being lenient on corruption while arguing that it was time to allow independent institutions to combat graft.
Campaign Funding
According to observers the 2022 elections has seen politicians seeking re-election or even political office for the first time spend millions of shillings on the campaign trail.
Their endeavors have been characterized by heavy spending including erecting billboards, posters, printing merchandise such as t-shirts and caps, and even crowd mobilization.
The elite politicians are meanwhile traversing the country on high end cars and choppers.
During the debate, the two candidates were put on the spot over how they fund their activities.
“We have choppers donated…the one is personally used is from a kind corporate friend,” said Karua while Gachagua said,” We are raising funds from people and mostly it is in materials, in donations terms of choppers, vehicles fuel and personnel and what you ned in terms of cash is not much. this campaign is bottom-up driven, a lot of hustlers have taken time to give their all in terms of time, material, support in kind, there isn’t much i cash,”
The presidential debate will now take place next week on Tuesday on July, 26,2022. The highlight of the two-tier debate will be Raila Odiga battling it with William Ruto while George Wajackoyah battles it out with David Mwaure Waihiga.
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