In a bid to regain favour with Kenyans, President William Ruto Wednesday proposed a raft of measures to slay the dragon of corruption.
In his televised address from State House, Nairobi, Ruto announced his second half of Cabinet and with it issued key recommendations to Parliament and the Judiciary aimed at fighting the vice that if not dealt with, threatens to sink his impending "broad-based" government.
The President termed Public Procurement as the epicenter of corruption in the country and to cure this, said that he would in the next 90 days propose amendments to the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Procurement and Disposal Act to overhaul the institutional and operational framework of public procurement.
This, he said, would be done with the aim of deploying a digital public procurement infrastructure within six months.
"The aim of these measures is to provide an open and transparent public procurement platform which gives open, real-time and end-to-end public visibility of public procurement from advertisement to award of contract," said the President.
Ruto also questioned a Sh400 billion yearly tax expenditure by government on VAT refunds noting that it has remained largely opaque, and with limited accountability.
He promised to work with Parliament within 90 days to provide a legislative and regulatory framework to make the process transparent, open and accountable with a view to reducing this huge public expenditure and direct savings to the productive areas of the economy.
"I want to give the people of Kenya an assurance that their government listens to them and that, for the last month, I have led the government in engaging with and listening to citizens from all walks of life as they expressed themselves in different forums and on various platforms," Ruto said.
"What has emerged as the foremost national concern requiring urgent and decisive action is the vexing matter of corruption and the nonnegotiable desire for accountable leadership and integrity in governance. I have this to say to Kenyans: I have heard you clearly," he added.
To further bolster the impact of the decisions made by his yet- to-be approved Cabinet, the Head of State promised to propose amendments to the Evidence Act, the Criminal Procedure Code, among other necessary legislative amendments to all statutes relating to corruption. This, he explained, would enable the expeditious investigation and prosecution of corruption and economic crimes cases and provide for their conclusion within six months.
"We shall also be proposing amendments to the Witness Protection Act to overhaul the statutory and institutional framework to protect and incentivize whistle-blowers and enhance witness protection, making it easier and safer for citizens to come forward and report corruption as well as other criminal activities," said Ruto.
The Head of State further revealed his engagement with the parliamentary leadership and urged MPs to pass the Conflict of Interests Bill albeit with the caveat that he would veto any Bill enacted if it does not establish a high bar with respect to accountability, integrity and anti-corruption.
"The Government will also work with Parliament to tighten legislation to reduce and eliminate imports of goods and products manufactured in Kenya so as to promote our value addition, manufacturing and industrialization program to create both jobs and wealth locally," he said.
At the same time, President Ruto has pledged government's support to families whose kin lost their lives or were injured during the anti-government protests that have rocked the country for the past one month.
In his speech that came short of admitting to police brutality, Ruto regretted that Kenyans had lost their lives, others seriously injured and property destroyed "as a result of disturbances occasioned by lawless activity during the protests."
"...This is not how and where our democracy should proceed, and we must do all we can to ensure that this does not occur again in future. The government will provide support to the families of those citizens who lost their loved ones," he observed.
And to aid business owners afflicted by rogue elements of the revolt, he directed relevant ministries to obtain, verify and provide accurate data to facilitate compensation within 30 days.
In light of the outrage over police shootings, the President also called on the police to exercise its mandate responsibly. He also called for the prosecution of rogue officers.
"I call on the National Police Service to use its mandate responsibly, professionally, effectively and in full compliance with the Constitution with a view to promoting the national objectives of Articles 238, 239 and 244. All breaches and violations by police officers must be handled expeditiously through due process, with a view to giving Kenyans a police service that upholds the highest standards of integrity," he said.
The pronouncements by Ruto come against the backdrop of nationwide protests on Tuesday following the president's decision to name half of his already disputed Cabinet.
