President Uhuru Kenyatta is fighting hard to leave a legacy at the end of his term. Fighting corruption lies under his priorities. But what do you think should be done to achieve this? Well, Civil society lobbyists seem to be having another suggestion to the head of state. They have asked the government to abolish the Sh1,000 and Sh500 currency notes to boost the war on graft.
Kipkorir Ngetich from the Center for Human Rights and Democracy (CHRD) says many people had stolen money and hidden it outside the banks.
Should the big denomination notes be changed, those hiding them will be caught when they take them to the banks for the new currency, Ngetich said.
He asked Parliament to initiate the process of changing the country’s currency and strengthen the legal framework to tackle corruption.
“There are so many people who have stolen billions of shillings and stashed the money under beds, in holes, bunkers and other areas. Much of the stolen money is in Sh1,000 and Sh500 notes,” Ngetich said after a meeting of civil society groups in Eldoret yesterday.
He said the war on graft will get a major boost if the government targets money hidden in homes and that stashed abroad by the corrupt.
He commended President Uhuru Kenyatta for giving the best ever political support to independent institutions fighting graft. But suspects were using the stolen money to frustrate investigations.
Other NGOs’ representatives – Nick Kibet and Pauline Chebiwot – said civil society groups fully supported the renewed efforts to fight graft.