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Uhuru’s sister has a right to big government tenders, DP Ruto


Deputy President William Ruto on Sunday defended the right of the President’s sister to participate in government tenders as the storm around the Ministry of Health’s Sh5.2 questionable payments intensified.

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s sister Nyokabi Muthama and Kathleen Kihanya, a cousin, are listed as the directors Sundales International Limited and the company is among those named in the multi-billion shilling scandal.

Mr Ruto weighed into the payments scam saying in law, the President’s sister had right to do business like every woman in the country.

A WOMAN IS A WOMAN

Addressing worshippers at Kapyemit Primary School in Turbo, Uasin Gishu County, Mr Ruto posed: “Is it a crime for the President to have a sister? Can’t the President have a sister? A woman is woman, we should not discriminate that if one is related to someone they should be denied access the opportunities . . . That is discrimination which we want to end in this country, if we are genuine about the fight against corruption, it should not be based on propaganda but truth and facts”.

He added that every woman in the country irrespective of the social status had right to transact business with the government.

The DP denied that the ministry had lost funds and hit out at the opposition for being envious of Jubilee’s “transformational agenda” since 2013.

He said after lacking a presidential candidate and a registered political party, the opposition was now riding on the graft allegations.

MPs Moses Kuria (Gatundu South) and Njogu Barua (Gichugu), who accompanied the DP, said that it was wrong to crucify a suspect when investigations were incomplete.

AUDITOR SHOULD RESIGN

“The report is based on an audit query. I want to call for public inquiry so that if anyone is found culpable, they are imprisoned. And if there is no problem, the internal auditor should resign for tainting images,” said Mr Kuria.

He alleged that the Opposition leader Raila Odinga had played double standards in the war on graft.

“When (former) CS Charity Ngilu was accused of corruption, they met in South Africa where Mr Odinga said that action should not be taken against her until the investigations were concluded,” said Mr Kuria.

In Machakos six Jubilee leaders defended President Uhuru Kenyatta against calls by the opposition to resign for failing to fight corruption.

The six MPs and a senator said the constitution had put in place institutions to fight corruption.

Embu Senator Lenny Kivuti, Meru Women Representative Florence Kajuju, MPs Dr Victor Munyaka (Machakos Town), John Munuve (Mwingi North),Itwiku Mbai (Masinga) John Waiganjo (Ol-Joro-Orok and former Kibwezi MP Kalembe Ndile said calls for the resignation of the President were ill-conceived and misguided.

Mr Kivuti said President Kenyatta had steered the country to economic prosperity.