Sh800 Billion Looted Annually in Kenya, US Ambassador Kyle McCarter Says

United States Ambassador to Kenya Kyle McCarter says the country loses a whopping Sh800 billion to corruption annually.

Speaking on Thursday, Ambassador McCarter said the funds looted from the public coffers are enough to finance President Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda.

While urging Kenyans to make a passionate decision to fight the menace, the diplomat said Kenya's anti-graft campaign remains close to his heart. 

McCarter said looters of taxpayers' cash must be brought to book and the funds they have stolen repossessed.

“There is a big fund available that can fix all your problems. Every year, $8 billion is stolen from this country,” McCarter stated.

“If we can just take that fund, your problems would be solved. In Kenya, there is a choice to be made.”

McCarter said this when he addressed students at Kenyatta University on Thursday. He challenged the Kenyan youth, especially university students, to rise up and say no to corruption, which he said has stolen their future.

“Corruption is like a fat dog that comes to your house granary and eats your food. You pet it and then it goes to another house.”

He added: "If only Kenyans saw the dog as a thief, they would have chased it.”

“You still wonder why I talk about thievery?” he posed.

“We need to see this as thievery and not that something our culture has accepted. If you tolerate the thievery, you have no solution. But the solution is stopping the thievery and having integrity. That is the answer.”

“You gonna have to step up as leaders and say no to this.”