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President William Ruto has been indicted for tolerating and allowing corruption to thrive in his government since he took over power two years ago.

A new report released by Africog yesterday claims that Ruto’s administration is as afflicted by corruption just like his four presidential predecessors as he became more preoccupied with political survival, which he has cultivated in his administration by rewarding those close to him.

The report raises concerns that Ruto’s leadership is heading in the wrong direction because the hope that Kenyans had on him has evaporated as he weaponised prosecutions by bringing or withdrawing criminal charges, and secured alliances and loyalty through the power of the office of the President.

It adds that there will be political impunity for so long as Ruto needs to reward his 2022 political supporters and new-found allies in the opposition;

Property accounted

In particular the report cites the withdrawal of high profile corruption cases, the Adani deals, the edible oil scandal, extravagant spending for the personal benefit and the payment of Sh62 billion to state departments for personal emoluments as well as that was paid outside Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS) some of the mega corruption issues affecting his government.

The report comes hardly months after a study of five years of reports by the Auditor General Nancy Gathungu between 2015 and 2020 recorded that only 13 percent of government revenue was properly accounted for and that 20 percent of government expenditure is stolen each year.

Reads the report: “Now, two years after assuming office, Ruto is satisfying a relatively small circle of cronies at the cost of his ‘hustler’ movement – the poor, youthful base mobilized to elect him on the belief the new president would put money in their pockets and break the ethno-political ‘dynasties’ mould of Kenyan politics. The abandonment of his promise of ‘bottom up’ economic development has resulted in one of Kenya’s most significant challenges to presidential authority.”

Adds the report: “The new government is largely made up of novices in high office selected on loyalty and regional considerations rather than merit. He appointed his political party’s politburo to sinecure positions within the government, ensuring loyalty to him ahead of the next general election, but also leaving no room for objective criticism to emanate from within party organs

The report says that Ruto has continued to allow corruption in his government as he took over power with a cloud of graft cases hanging over his head although in some of the cases he was acquitted.

Loyalty considerations

The report cites a case where he was charged with defrauding the state corporation Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC) of huge amounts of money through dubious land deals but was later acquitted in 2011, the corruption scandal involving subsidized maize, the case where he was ordered by a court to pay Sh5 million to a victim of the 2007-2008 post-election violence for grabbing his land in Uasin Gishu as well as the Nairobi Weston Hotel land-grabbing saga, which involved several state corporations.

Reads the report: “President Ruto’s populist campaign rhetoric raised hopes of a massive redistribution of political and economic power from the ‘dynasties’ to the ‘hustlers’, but he has instead delivered a record of profligacy and mismanagement of public funds.”