By Magdalene Mukami
NAIROBI, Kenya
The Kenyan transport secretary was arraigned in court on Thursday to face charges of abuse of office.
Michael Kamau, who is currently suspended, is the first ever top Kenyan government official to be arraigned in court to face graft related charges in the history of the 52-year-old East African country.
Kamau, an engineer by profession, was arraigned alongside two others on Thursday in an anti-corruption court before senior principal magistrate Lawrence Mugambi.
The transport minister, accused of embezzling public funds, denied the charges and was released on a 1 million shillings (roughly $10,400) cash bail.
Nicholas Mburu Nga’nga and Kaka Matemu Kithyo, who were also facing similar corruption charges, were released on a 600,000 shillings (roughly $6,200) cash bail.
On Tuesday, the transport minister went to court in an unsuccessful bid to stop his prosecution over the graft allegations.
During his speech on June 1, when Kenya celebrated its 52nd year of independence, President Uhuru Kenyatta emphasized that there was no room for corrupt government officials in his government, adding that he will weed out all those found guilty of graft.
“The foremost danger to our republic today is the large number of public officials who have become comfortable with laxity and corruption,” Kenyatta said.
“The billions we are investing to place the welfare of the Kenyan people at the front and center of all national activity is hard-earned money sacrificed by the people for the promotion of their well-being.
“It must be managed responsibly and in a manner that takes each shilling as far as it can go, and brings maximum value to our people.
“We must establish a robust framework to make Kenya graft-proof going forward.”
On March 28, Kenyatta suspended four government ministers and eight other government officials over graft allegations.
