EDITORIAL: Intensify war on graft

When the Assets Recovery Agency was established in 2015, many Kenyans were initially sceptical that it would contribute anything positive in the war against endemic corruption in the country.

Established under The Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, the agency has been taking the fight to those found culpable of corrupt deeds and seizing any properties or bank accounts deemed to be proceeds of graft.

We support the actions of the agency though we must, however, note that it must widen the net and crack down on major purveyors of the menace.

We welcome reports that the High Court has frozen about Sh43.5 million belonging to a businessman after the funds were suspected to have been siphoned from the Mandera County government.

This followed an application by ARA, which suspected the monies were fraudulent payments from the devolved unit.

Kenyans have also not forgotten how billions of shillings were looted from the National Youth Service and the mega dam scandals to mention just a few.

It is welcoming to note that the Judiciary has been working in tandem with the agency in freezing assets belonging to those in the agency’s radar.

It goes without saying that ARA’s actions have sent a shockwave among the corrupt, but we opine that more still needs to be done.

For the war against corruption to be won, there must not be any selective application of the law.

The whip must be cracked against every one. The moment we allow some people to go scot free merely because they have friends in higher places or are well connected is when we will lose the battle.

All State agencies should work in unison in tracing, recovering and seizing laundered monies and properties that have been bought using stolen public funds.

Corruption must be made very painful for those who partake in it. The punishment must be punitive That’s the only way.