Kenya's prime minister suspended two ministers over corruption allegations on Sunday after the president took the same action against eight officials in moves that will please donors but underline coalition divisions.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga said former ally Agriculture Minister William Ruto and Education Minister Sam Ongeri should step aside for three months to allow further investigations into scandals in subsidised maize and education programmes. "I am taking this action because two recent investigations ... have laid credible foundations for the two ministers to be investigated," the prime minister said in a statement. Donors and Kenyans have long called for leaders in the unity government to take a tougher line with influential individuals blamed for a raft of major graft cases that have tainted several important sectors of east Africa's biggest economy. Late on Saturday, Kibaki's office said he had suspended eight officials, also for three months, after they were "mentioned adversely" in reports on the work of the subsidised maize scheme and Kenya's free primary education programme. "President Kibaki once again reaffirmed the government's commitment to fighting corruption and assured of speedy and conclusive investigations on use of public resources," Kibaki's office said in a statement.
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