Roundup: Kenyan agriculture minister vacates office over graft

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Felix Koskei stepped aside on Saturday following a presidential directive that all those mentioned in corruption by the anti-graft body to do so.

Koskei told a media briefing in Nairobi that he has decided to step aside for a period of 60 days from his official duties in order to allow for free, independent and impartial investigations.

"Even as I am stepping aside, I have never been told of any allegations against me nor have I been summoned or questioned by the Ethic and Anti-Corruption Commission or any other government organs," Koskei said.

"I have chosen this road less travelled not because I am guilty of any allegations but to lead by example, because public service is based on trust and once the public confidence is eroded the right thing to do is to step aside," he added.

Koskei is the first government official to step aside following the presidential directive during the State of the Nation Address on Thursday. He has served as Cabinet Secretary in the Agriculture ministry for the past 22 months.

He said when he took of office in May 2013, he swore to obey, respect and uphold the Constitution and truly serve the people of Kenya.

"Today as I stand before you, there are some allegations which touch on my character which has called to question the honour and dignity of my office as a cabinet secretary," he said. "They said allegations have made it impossible for me to be a true and faithful counselor to the President in the management of public affairs."

Koskei's move came after Deputy President William Ruto told political leaders and State officers implicated in corruption to carry their own cross.

"Every leader must be held to account. All those involved in acts of corruption must face the full force of the law," Ruto warned in Mombasa late on Friday.

Noting that all public servants entrusted with public resources must be held to account for their use, Ruto asked them to exercise a high degree of integrity to ensure that the resources entrusted to them are used for the benefit of the people.

"I want to make it explicitly clear that public resources are meant for the betterment of the lives of the people. We shall not therefore condone any practices that undermine that effort," he said.

Ruto emphasized that no public servant should compromise on the integrity of his office and added that the government was determined to open a new chapter in public administration in the country.

On Thursday, President Kenyatta who delivered the State of the Nation Address in Parliament where he directed 175 public officers adversely mention in the latest Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) report vacate office.

Kenya has also been on the spotlight since private firms' directors from Britain and U.S. were earlier in the year found guilty of bribing Kenyan officials to award them tenders to supply printing services and to buy tyres respectively.

Most government tenders rated at over 11 million U.S. dollars are mired in controversy because various vendors compete aggressively to beat their opponents and win the tenders or challenge them in court.

Parliamentary committees have been rocked with allegations of corruption that has led to the loss of billions of shillings in bribery scandals involving senior government's officials and State firms as well as in the procurement of services. The president has ordered an audit of procurement and tender contracts awarded by all State corporations in the past two years. Endi