NAIROBI: Attorney General Githu Muigai has supported the demand by President Uhuru Kenyatta that governors implicated in corruption should leave office temporarily, pending investigations.
Prof Muigai, who is the chief government legal adviser, said good governance requires that one steps aside when allegations are made against him or her to avoid interfering with investigations.
He said there is no logic in arguing that such a move only applied to the members of the executive and not to other leaders.
“A person who is heading an institution that is the subject of investigations for corruption should not be available in the office as he is likely to interfere with the investigations. This is not about semantics, it is about concerns over the allegations of corruption made against you,” he said.
Muigai was addressing journalists at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi after opening a workshop of religious leaders organised by his office to discuss proposed regulations for religious organisations.
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He was responding to the governors implicated in corruption, who have said that they will not step aside as there is no legal provision for this.
The governors who include Nairobi’s Evans Kidero and Meru counterpart Peter Munya argue that there is a constitutional and legal process through which they can be removed from office.
The AG dismissed the argument that there was no law requiring governors to step aside, saying doing the right thing does not need the support of any law.
Earlier, while addressing the more than 50 religious leaders, the AG said the Government has no intentions of interfering with the freedom of religion and worship.
