Kenya: Finance Minister Quits Over Hotel Saga
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The Nation (Nairobi)
8 July 2008
Posted to the web 8 July 2008
Dave Opiyo
Nairobi
Kenya’s Finance Minister Amos Kimunya has quit over the controversial sale of a luxury hotel at the centre of Nairobi.
Mr Kimunya called a Press conference and issued a brief statement, saying: “I have requested President Kibaki to be allowed to step aside to facilitate an inquiry into this matter.”
At the same time, police have beat up and arrested a group of activists who were meeting to plan protests against Mr Kimunya’s handling of the Grand Regency sale.
Mr Kimunya said his conscience was clean that he well managed the sale of the hotel.
“I’ve held several consultations with President Kibaki, my family, friends and colleagues on Grand Regency. Mt conscience is very clean on the role of the Treasury and specifically myself on this matter. I am open to an independent inquiry to prove my innocence,” he told reporters.
Earlier, police stormed a Nairobi restaurant and arrested a number of civil society activists who were planning demonstrations against Mr Kimunya over the sale.
The group, meeting under the aegis of Name and Shame Coalition Against Corruption, had gathered at the city’s Garden Square restaurant adjacent to the Kenyatta International Conference Centre when riot and regular police in full gear stormed the venue.
It was upon seeing the uninvited guests in uniform that those in the meeting scampered for their safety.
Helter-skelter they ran in all directions as those who were not lucky to escape were rounded up by the police, roughed up before being bundled into a police and taken to Central Police Station.
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About ten members of the civil society were arrested including Anne Njogu and Okiya Omtata.
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I salute the Minister for such a bold move. In Zim many Ministers and other public figures were cought with their fingers in the cookies jar but held on to thier post for they knew the cases would die natural deaths. Thats patronage in the Mugabe way. No wonder they can not challange him for his overddue stay in power despite the crumbling economy. Long live Africa we are in the right direction