Charity Ngilu steps aside, links troubles to reforms in Lands ministry

Kenya: Suspended Lands Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu yesterday walked out of her Ardhi House office, claiming that powerful individuals had succeeded in pushing for her inclusion in the graft list submitted to President Uhuru Kenyatta by Ethics and Anti Corruption Commission (EACC).

Ms Ngilu handed over to Information Communication Technology Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and immediately convened a Press conference.

She fired salvos at shadowy figures, who she claimed want her out of the ministry due to her efforts to clean up land transactions.

Ngilu said although she support President Kenyatta's fight against corruption, the list he submitted to Parliament was selective and targeted the wrong people.

"People whose identities I do not know have accused me of crime I'm unaware of. What is interesting is that my accusers may have been heard and their side of the story documented. I'm accused before the public court," she said.

She said she was never summoned by the Criminal Investigations Department or EACC.

"My rights have been violated. I have been condemned unheard. Like any other Kenyan, I'm entitled to a fair process, that I'm innocent until proven guilty," said Ngilu.

She was the last Cabinet Secretary among those mentioned in the report to step aside over graft allegations. She was away in the US on official duty hence the delay to step aside.

This is not the first time Ngilu is finding herself in the cold in the middle of her tenure. In 2005, she was sacked by then President Mwai Kibaki after she opposed the Wako Draft Constitution which was later voted against in a referendum.

Her current tenure at the Lands ministry has been stormy, and among the cases she has had to deal with include the grabbing of the Langata Road Primary School Ground and the Karen land saga.

She has on numerous occasions appeared before the National Assembly Lands Committee to clarify various issues to do with the registration of land.

At the height of the Langata Road land saga, Ngilu had promised to reveal the names behind the scandal.

"I will reveal the names behind the saga and resign," she said then.

And yesterday, asked to reveal the names, she replied: "I cannot give any other names apart from the ones I had given. The names I gave are the ones that I was given by my officers," she said. Others mentioned in the graft report are Kazungu Kambi (Labour), Felix Koskei (Agriculture) and Davis Chirchir (Energy and Petroleum).