NAIROBI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday directed Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to step up fight against rampant corruption and economic crimes in the country.
Kenyatta who held talks on anti-corruption fight with the EACC leadership in Nairobi, said he was pleased with the agency's progress in the recovery of assets and assured the EACC top leadership of his full backing.
He urged the commission to work harder to support the achievement of Kenya's development goals.
Kenyatta also advised the anti-graft agency to work closely with other agencies mandated to fight the vice, adding that the war against graft should not be a source of competition within government.
He said the anti-corruption fight will bear more fruits if it is conducted through the multi-agency framework which brings together the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the EACC as well as other security agencies.
The renewed anti-corruption drive has led to unprecedented arrests of graft suspects and arraignment in court of senior government officials suspected of involvement in the theft of public resources.
The suspects include wealthy businesspersons, senior government officials and politicians.
Kenya Railways Corporation Managing Director Atanas Maina and Land commission chief Muhammad Swazuri are the latest high-profile individuals to be arrested in the East African nation following corruption in their organizations.
Analysts said the war against corruption is part of Kenyatta's efforts to provide universal healthcare, create more industries, enhance food security and offer affordable housing under his Big Four Agenda.
In the last financial year, EACC recovered illegally acquired assets and cash worth 4.9 million U.S. dollars from individuals and institutions through court proceedings and out-of-court settlements.
Of the 4.9 million dollars collected, 760,000 dollars were cash recoveries while 4.1 million dollars were in form of assets comprising of land and other immovable assets.
EACC chairman Eliud Wabukala informed Kenyatta that his agency has acted proactively and disrupted 12 suspected cases of corrupt dealings and in the process saved the country an estimated 47 million dollars that would have otherwise been lost.
He added that the EACC is continuously and closely monitoring the use of funds in the counties and is working with citizens to ensure that public resources are used prudently.
