Corruption must be sanctioned without pity, Mutua says as protests persist

Kenyan Professor and former Azimio la Umoja Secrecretariat Makau Mutua has attributed the ongoing dissent to the primitive accumulation and flaunting of public wealth by government officials.

Makau, a stern government critic on his X account, stated that the splurging of ill-gotten wealth by the elite political class while the majority of citizens languish in poverty is a trigger for anger from the electorate.

Massive wealth is a mockery

He described the flaunting of unlawfully acquired wealth by government officials as a mockery to the poor, adding that corruption should be addressed with zero tolerance.

“Crude and crass consumption and primitive accumulation by elected officials and elites in government in the midst of penury by the majority is a trigger for public anger.  Flaunting ill-gotten public wealth mocks the impoverished.  Corruption must be sanctioned without pity,” Mutua quipped on his X account.

The law professor’s comments come on the back of continuing protests despite the announcement by the president announcing the abandonment of the contentious Finance Bill of 2024.

Kenyans have continued to apply pressure on different government organs, with parliament bearing the biggest brunt after the House approved the Finance Bill on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, much to the protest of thousands of Kenyans who had taken to the streets challenging the proposed bill.

The ensuing storming of parliament buildings by protesters on Wednesday, June 26, 2024, prompted the president to announce that he would not sign the controversial Finance Bill into law in a bid to quell the tension around the country.

Protesters have since voiced their lack of trust in a majority of legislators who despite pressure from the electorate, seem keen to align with the government of the day rather than the people they are supposed to represent.

195 members of the House voted in favour of the Finance Bill 2024 compared to 106 who voted to reject it. Three members who were absent did not vote.

Kenyan legislators rank second highest paid politicians in the world, ahead of developed nations like the USA, Japan, and Britain.

According to a report by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kenyan MPs’ salary excluding allowances is 76 times Kenya’s GDP per capita.

Public shows of affluence by politicians have now come under public scrutiny, as factions of Kenyans demand to know the source of massive wealth accumulated by politicians amid the unbearable economic situation.

Confidence in the legislative assembly is at an all-time low as a majority of Kenyans who feel betrayed continue questioning their loyalty to the electorate.

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