COTU now backs Uhuru on graft matters

Irene Ngina

Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has rallied behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s war against corrupt people in his government, but asked him to match his words with action.He said Kenya continues to lag behind other countries due to corruption.“If this trend is not checked soon, Kenya risks falling apart,” warned Mr Atwoli in a press statement.However, the Cotu boss urged all institutions charged with fighting corruption to do all they can to effect the President’s directive.

Meanwhile, Kenyans should brace themselves for tough times as the government continues with its borrowing spree, civil society organisations have warned.They also demanded an audit of all pending debts the money generated from Eurobond was used to pay, claiming that some of them may not be genuine.

Speaking in Nairobi during a forum on Kenya’s debt crisis, leaders of the organisations that included Africa Economics, Institute for economic Affairs, the Institute for Social Accountability, and Africa Centre for Open Governance, said the government must check borrowing and also put into proper use the available funds to avoid burdening Kenyans with taxes.

Africa Economics managing director David Ndii warned that the government was exposing Kenyans to global financial conditions due to unnecessary borrowing.“Our borrowing is worrying as we are shunning serious financial institutions that give longer repayment periods and opting for vendor-driven loans from China and the Eurobond. We are now seeking loans from ‘shylocks’,” said Dr Ndii.