Kenya’s papers today feature lots of corruption stories.  The press should be congratulated for doing a better job of sticking with some of these issues, in some part I think due to the renewed energy and courage shown by civil society.  A certain level of moral support from the donor/diplomatic community probably helps as well.

The KACC has recommended charges against eight officials for a portion of the missing Free Primary Education funds headlines the Daily Nation. The downside of course is the KACC can only recommend–action is in the hands of Attorney General Wako, famously subject to a visa denial for travel to the US due to his record of de facto support for impunity, as announced in last fall’s “tweet” from the US Ambassador.

And speaking of the Attorney General and the Rift Valley Railroad concession scandal, the Daily Nation also reports that Wako, Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura, Transport PS Cyrus Njiru and Finance PS Joseph Kinyua have been called to appear before Parliament’s Public Investment Committee to answer as to why they disregarded the Committee’s advise that the concession be terminated.  Again, it is positive to see the Parliamentary committee, like the KACC above, push forward in its advisory capacity–but frustrating to have to wonder whether impunity will nonetheless prevail.

And more on the outstanding maize scandal that we have written of previously from the Standard, with more here. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, after being hired at the instance of PM’s office, has issued a report said to recommend that the KACC re-open its investigation, and in particular look at high officials including the PSs in both the PM’s office and in William Ruto’s Ministry of Agriculture. The Daily Nation covers the PwC report here.

The coverage of the report on the maize scandal is a good example of why you have to read both major Kenyan daily papers–as well as the Star if you are in Kenya since it isn’t fully on-line yet.  The Nation may have a degree of journalistic polish that the Standard sometimes lacks (and perhaps less stories that are specifically messed up), but the Standard has a bit more “guts” in some cases–in this case naming the names of the officials in the PwC report rather than, for example “two permanent secretaries”.

Following up on another outstanding matter, the games going on to control the Kenya Airport Authority, the Standard reports that the President’s associate George Muhoho is finally retiring, next month, at the end of the irregular extension of his term granted him by fiat of the Minister of Transportation Ali Cherau Makwere, who’s election has now been voided.