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Roundup: Kenyan president revives agencies to enhance fight against graft

Xinhua, March 16, 2015 Adjust font size:

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has reactivated two state agencies, the Efficiency Monitoring Unit and the Inspectorate of State Corporation, to help speed up fight against corruption.

Local media reported on Monday that Kenyatta issued Executive Order issued last week, cautioning public servants on ethics and integrity.

Kenyatta said his office had been receiving complaints of deliberate breaches of ethical standards and theft of public resources by civil servants, state and public officers.

"These unsavory, unethical and corrupt practices continue to be perpetuated and thrive in spite of various reminders and warnings, " said the order, which directed all state corporations to furnish State House with details of all procurements carried out or in the process of being carried out, "complete with contract value awardees for the financial years 2013/14 and 2014/15."

Kenyatta has warned public officials that his government will not tolerate graft, saying the days of corrupt officials in service are numbered and called for joint efforts to wipe out the vice.

"Corruption will not be eradicated by the government only. It will be wiped out if we individually and collectively change our value system to shun the vice by recognizing that hard work pays," he said recently.

The East Africa's biggest economy has been on the spotlight since a private firm's directors from Britain and U.S. were earlier in the year found guilty of bribing Kenyan officials to award them tenders to supply printing services and to buy tyres respectively.

Most government tenders rated at over 11 million U.S. dollars are mired in controversy because various bidders compete aggressively to beat their opponents and win the tenders or challenge them in court.

Parliamentary committees have been rocked with allegations of corruption that has led to the loss of billions of shillings in bribery scandals involving senior government officials and state firms as well as in the procurement of services.

Kenyatta has ordered an audit of procurement and tender contracts awarded by all state corporations in the past two years.

On Sunday, Deputy President William Ruto said the government has not protected individuals who engage in corruption from being prosecuted.

Ruto said there were no sacred cows in the government, adding that officials found engaging in the vice would be personally held responsible.

He said it was the constitutional duty of the legislature and Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) among other bodies to ensure those found engaging in corruption were brought to book to face the law.

"We have institutions mandated with the fight against corruption and they are to blame for failure to bring to book those taking part in corrupt activities,"Ruto said. "We expect institutions charged with oversight of our resources to do their work diligentl."

Ruto told the EACC officers to demonstrate their seriousness in the war against corruption or resign to allow other competent Kenyans to be appointed to take up their roles. Endi