Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has called for the immediate resignation of Principal Secretary for the State Department for Lands, Nixon Korir, over his alleged involvement in a scandal surrounding compensation for land acquired during the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).
Speaking during a Senate sitting on Thursday, April 17, Khalwale claimed that renowned legal scholar and former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) boss, Prof. P.L.O. Lumumba, had already filed a lawsuit against Korir. The suit reportedly accuses the PS of embezzling funds meant for the compensation of 184 families whose land was used in the establishment of the railway line.
“It is only today that it has become public that Professor Lumumba has sued PS Nixon Korir because they have embezzled money meant for 184 families. Parliament, we must wake up to some of these things because Lumumba should not be doing our work. By now, we should have removed Nixon Korir from office for investigations,” said Khalwale.
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The Senate Majority Whip argued that Korir’s continued stay in office would compromise the integrity of any probe, given his access to critical documents and data.
“How do we investigate the PS when he is in control of all the data that the courts will require to nail him? For this reason, Nixon Korir should step down as a PS and await the outcome of the investigation,” he added.
Khalwale’s remarks sparked sharp reactions within the chamber, with Migori Senator Eddy Oketch urging him to formalize the allegations through a substantive motion in Parliament.
“The issue that he has brought to us is that there is a PS who he has alleged has embezzled some funds and must resign. He has used the word ‘demand,’ which I respect. But the whip should be directed to give a substantive motion because this is a serious issue, especially where embezzlement has been involved,” Oketch noted.
The fresh demand for accountability comes just days after another heated session in the Senate, during which nominated Senator Gloria Orwoba called for the resignation of Labour Cabinet Secretary Alfred Mutua. Orwoba accused the CS of failing to curb rising job scams targeting Kenyans seeking employment abroad.
“I want to call upon the president to fire the Cabinet Secretary for Labour because he knows what is happening. He is incompetent, and his interests have not been seen because he is not there for the people of Kenya,” said Orwoba during the April 2 session.
The back-to-back calls for the resignation of top government officials have further fueled public scrutiny over the Kenya Kwanza administration’s commitment to accountability and transparency.
As the cases continue to unfold, the spotlight now turns to both the Senate and the Executive on how they will respond to growing pressure from within Parliament to take decisive action against alleged misconduct in public service.