President Uhuru Kenyatta warns corrupt civil servants

By FREDRICK OBURA

President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked anti-corruption agencies to step up surveillance in fighting graft.

He noted that cases of corruption were still high in the country despite reforms undertaken by the government in the past few years.

The President put public servants who engage in corruption on notice saying that their days were numbered.

“I am calling on all anti corruption agencies to step up surveillance in order to map out corrupt officers, systems are already in place to deal with these corrupt fellows,” he said at a national leadership and intergrity conference in Nairobi.

“Corruption and impunity are on the rise and are major hindrances to our progress and must be contained," he said adding that taming the vice would help wananchi get services adequately and speed up attainment of government's vision 2030.

Uhuru called on all anti-corruption agencies to map out services that are on high demand by the public as quick means of fighting the vice.

"As we are all aware, there is a strong correlation between services and corruption. Indeed, corruption is prevalent where government services are in great demand by the people."

"To be effective in fighting corruption, therefore, I call upon anti-corruption agencies to map all key services that are demanded by wananchi on regular basis and to identify ministries and departments that are high up in the corruption index and where willingness to change is minimal."

He said once the mapping is done, appropriate strategies to fight corruption and unethical practices should be developed.

"These should include digitizing delivery of services where possible; reviewing procurement law and procedures, strengthening internal and external audit, Police Oversight Authority and other agencies, and putting in place mechanisms for involving the people in fighting corruption."

Corruption has remained a problem for many years. Recent reforms in the government such as the enactment of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2011, and the Leadership and Integrity Act, 2012 have not achieved much in reducing it's level.