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Kenyan ministers step aside for anti-corruption probe

By AFP
Kenya Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta arrives before addressing the parliament on March 26, 2015 in Nairobi.  By Simon Maina AFPFile
MAR 28, 2015 LISTEN
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta arrives before addressing the parliament on March 26, 2015 in Nairobi. By Simon Maina (AFP/File)

Nairobi (AFP) - Four ministers named in a confidential probe by Kenya's anti-corruption agency have temporarily quit their posts at the request of President Uhuru Kenyatta, a presidential spokesman said on Saturday.

Agriculture minister Felix Koskei, Michael Kamau, transport and infrastructure minister, Davis Chirchir, energy and petroleum minister, and Samuel Kazungu Kambi, who held the labour portfolio -- would relinquish their duties to allow the commission to carry out an investigation that should be completed within 60 days, spokesman Manoah Esipisu said.

Details of the allegations against the four have not been made public.

"The President reaffirms that there are no sacred cows and that this is just the beginning of an unwavering war against corruption," Esipisu said in a statement.

The move follows remarks by Kenyatta to parliament on Thursday in which he called corruption "one of the biggest obstacles to our shared vision of security, growth and prosperity".

Earlier this month, a court charged seven former officials including an ex-minister in connection with a multi-million dollar corruption scam involving bogus state contracts.

Known as the "Anglo-Leasing scandal", after a British firm that was hired at hugely inflated costs to provide a new passport printing system, the overall money involved in the scandal has been estimated at least $640 million (580 million euros) spread across 18 different contracts.

Former finance minister and now Senator Chris Obure was charged with abuse of office, breach of trust and "improperly conferring a benefit", as were three former permanent secretaries, a former postmaster general, a former finance secretary and an ex-finance ministry official in charge of debt management.

At least $200 million was reportedly paid out before the scandal was made public.

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