President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the fight against illicit goods will be waged further, adding that illicit trade and importation of goods is destroying job opportunities for the youth and farmers. Speaking after witnessing the destruction of illicit goods worth Kshs 1.5 billion on Friday including 149 motor vehicles, President Kenyatta said illegal importation must stop, “It has come a time when it must end. We cannot continue to allow a few greedy individuals to continue destroying the jobs of our youth and the efforts of our farmers through illicit imports. We shall destroy all illicit goods and deal firmly with all corrupt individuals,” he said.
He reiterated that the fight against corruption, counterfeits, economic crimes will not be stopped and that all corrupt individuals will not be spared irrespective of their position in the society. However, he noted that due process of the law will be followed to give a chance to those who think they’ve been dealt with wrongly to demonstrate their innocence. He said all senior government officers who are caught in corruption shouldn’t look to shift the blame to junior officers. The President further urged County Governors throughout the nation to follow his example and seek to rid their respective Counties of corruption.
President Kenyatta noted that for the war against graft to succeed, the big fish must be dealt with the same way the other suspects are dealt with. The goods destroyed included cars worth over Kshs 71 million, foodstuff which included 124 bags of sugar, 188 bags of rice, cooking oil and assorted juices, fake electronics, lab equipment, motor vehicle spare parts, expired or poisonous pharmaceuticals, and other counterfeit stuff.