GITHONGO WANTS TO RETURN TO KENYA!

Mr Githongo still fears for his life. Kenya's exiled former anti-corruption investigator John Githongo says he wants to return to Kenya, more than a year after fleeing in fear of his life. Mr Githongo has been living in Britain since he resigned from the government. Threats to his safety arose after he revealed a massive corruption scandal involving several government ministers, known as the Anglo-Leasing affair. He told the BBC he wants to carry on his work but is worried no prosecutions have been made over the $600m scam.

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Kenyan Justice Minister Martha Karua has said that the affair remains under investigation. Mr Githongo is still worried for his safety but told the BBC that, "it is only a matter of time" before he does return home. Mrs Karua said Mr Githongo was welcome to come back. President Kibaki is expected to seek re-election next year.
"John is living in exile because he has chosen to," she said In response, Mr Githongo agreed that, "Yes, exile is a choice that I have made," but said that the invite to return was a first. Mr Githongo also spoke of his disappointment regarding the lack of prosecutions. "I am concerned because it has been two-and-a-half years since we uncovered some of these things. It only became public six months ago but this is something we started trying to deal with when I was still in government as far back as April 2004."

When asked whether he regretted his actions, Mr Githongo said: "One always takes a personal choice - it is not an easy choice, it has implications that change one's life really for good. "But mine is one life and what I did, I felt I had to do."

The Anglo-Leasing affair involved contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars being awarded to fictitious firms for items such as hi-tech passports. President Mwai Kibaki won 2002 elections on a pledge to tackle corruption which had plagued the previous administration.

BBC NEWS REPORT.